Although Kokoro is not a big project, it is an iconic case of “Business Thinking of DAYLAB Design” in the year 2021. For a long time, coffee shops with a size of 150-200 square meters are ideal for designers to show their talents. Under the premise of highlighting the designer’s style, they can also achieve advertising by social media shots and good business revenue. Under such conditions, it is easy to produce “Design Works”. The “small stall” store, although it is an excellent model of high business efficiency, is a “trap” in the eyes of some designers.

Under the premise of “business first”, a large number of advertisements, lightboxes, logos, promotional information, etc. are often used to expand the amount of information; without any sitting or immersive space, it would be a luxury goal to let consumers take the initiative to share on social media; and it needs to highlight a sense of high-end in a situation that does not affect the busy customer flow. All these almost form a “Triangle of Impossible”.

This time, we accepted the challenge. But what made it even more difficult was that KOKORO was a bran-new coffee brand, and we had to realize this design without any aid from “brand effect”. The project site is a square-shaped parcel, with an area that is not large but not particularly small. Under this volume, most brands would divide the store into two sectors, stall and dine-in areas, to accommodate the diverse customer requests. This robust strategy seems “no risk”, but it may not be a good choice in a highly competitive shopping mall environment. The breakthrough strategy given by Douxi Design is: “ Instead of being a ‘big shop’ that looks stingy, it is better to be a “small shop” that looks grand.” We hope to maximize the “spatial-visual tension” through bold “subtraction” in design to capture customer’s minds at their first glance.

▼吧台局部 details ©云眠工作室

1. Cut the dining function and remove the seat, so that we can have the opportunity to create a complete welcoming surface/facade as long as possible, and to maximize the visual impact of the space. 2. The bar is raised and suspended. This structure will reinforce the visual impact by giving the customers a sense of “trepidation” to a certain extent. 3. Cut the back bar counter. Since the production process is busy, it is extremely hard to keep the back bar clean and tidy. Simply removing the back bar can minimize the sense of clutter and create a sense of high-end luxury. 4. Reduce the amount of information. In traditional stall designs, to create an explosive shopping atmosphere, big screens, promotions, advertisements, etc. are full filled. Reducing the amount of information can effectively maintain spatial-visual integrity.

▼进店与排队 entering and queuing ©斗西设计