Caffe Aroma Competition - Honourable Mention | Vítor Leal Barros

The concept for the new Caffe Aroma rises from a contemporary reinterpretation of the ethnic character associated to the brand. More than reproduce an ‘ethnic collage', the approach absorbs the notions of comfort, cosiness and welfare of the existing spaces, while recreating and adapting them with a more international and appealing design. Above all, it is an attempt of modernizing the brand’s image without losing its own identity. Thus, all the constructive vocabulary of the new idea seeks inspiration at the already built Caffe Aroma’s, by using the same rough textures of the walls and floors, tones, woods, tiles and vegetation.

The restaurant is divided in three rooms, separated by two walls of handmade brick. Vertical tiled panels act as screens that detach the service rooms (toilets and kitchen) from the public areas. A new space, the lounge, more informal and intimate, functions as a chill-out area where users can profit the services in a more relaxed way. The vegetation falls naturally from the niches placed along the side brick walls. The contemporary look of the furniture and lighting, ensure the comfort associated to the brand, giving a more elegant and refined design to the space. Outside, cactus planters strategically placed, provide the users privacy and protection.

The proposal seeks on the already constructed Caffe Aroma’s restaurants, its main characteristics and influences, recombining them into more elegant, refined and cosmopolitan spaces. There isn’t much information and knowledge about the business strategies of the company, but we think that the present solution combines both the ethnicity associated to the brand and international fashion forward design. The concept we propose may be, as fresh and contemporary in Saudi Arabia, as in Europe, America or Asia. If the brand strategy is based on a franchising network worldwide, it is our opinion that this proposal presents a global and contemporary design without losing the ethnic soul, which underlies Caffe Aroma’s image.