I was approached by the owner to turn an old Estate Agents into a play café. She wanted a space that worked well for both children and adults alike; to be calming and yet energising; playful yet practical; and for the colour palette to not be neutral!

 

The space was a typical room-beyond-a-room configuration, so the idea was to make each space transitional: As you walk into the first space at the front – the café area – there’s a calming embrace of deep teal, with just a few playful details to hint of what lies further in

 

The middle section has a few more child-focused details in the form of patterns on the walls, bigger bursts of colour, artwork, a book corner, and some children’s play items.

 

The final area – at the very back – is the main play-space for the children. Being right at the back lighting was a key element here, so new spotlights were added, as well as additional wall lights, to illuminate the play nooks and seating areas.

 

The client knew she wanted to sell local artisan donuts, light meals and snacks, and hot and cold drinks, so the café counter was designed to showcase these items, whilst providing some extra prep space, and also an accessible coffee finishing area on the front counter.

 

The seating needed to be flexible in areas, to allow for different configurations, spacious enough for ease of movement with prams and push-chairs, and to also be easy to clean. As well as tying in with the overall design, acoustics were also considered here, and so a combination of different types of seating and configurations were designed in.

 

The overall design concept came from the essence of play: Of treasure hunts and the curiosity of children. They are woven into the design in a way it isn’t 'themed', but just with clues that only the trained eye will pick up!