Coffeebar in Menlo Park by Walker Warner Architects

Coffeebar is a contemporary space in the heart of Silicon Valley’s venture capital center, Menlo Park, California.

Architect: Walker Warner Architects
Location: Menlo Park, California, USA
Year: 2018
Interior Design: NICOLEHOLLIS
Principal: Greg Warner
Senior Project Manager: Helen Tsang
Designer: Charles Gurrey
Principal and Creative Director: Nicole Hollis
Senior Designer: Danielle Yuen, Shannon Niehenke
Project Designer: Julia Clements
Photography: Laure Joliet

From the architect: The design teams collaborated with Coffeebar founder Greg Buchheister to reimagine a building that was once a nail salon and an Asian food market into a curated, modern café that would draw in commuters and residents alike. The exterior was transformed from a simple commodity building to a bespoke retail destination.

A simple material palette of steel, cypress, and glass creates a contemporary ambiance while offering durability in a heavy traffic environment. Elliptically-shaped, exterior wooden louvers float in front of the oversized glass windows and doors to provide sun protection and soft natural light into the interior. The steel trim and blackened standing-seam metal panels convey a sophisticated, industrial quality that complements the interiors.

Taking inspiration from Italian coffee bars, the interior features terrazzo countertops and walls. A bicycle chain chandelier, bicycle enamel paint and an alcove partitioned with metal chain curtains pay homage to the biking culture of Silicon Valley. A live-edge walnut communal table, which is accented by striking butterfly joints in teal blue, anchors the space.

Banquettes, hightop tables with terrazzo counters, and copper-top café tables edge the interior. A custom designed retail area supports the front counter with its high customer turnover. Interior details include a copper-paneled water station, copper wall panels with exposed riveting and ash walls. The floor is the original concrete that has been highly polished.

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