Happy Bones | Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design

Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design (GVID) and UM Project (UM) have completed the design of Happy Bones, a boutique coffee shop re-opening at a new location at 394 Broome Street in Soho, New York City. The project marks another collaboration between Viñas and Chambard, who have been long-time collaborators. This time combining their vision to create an entire space together which is full of life and personality. The founders envisioned an environment that was bold and soothing with a strong departure from the typical coffee shop look and feel and the combined approach of this team could not have worked better.

GVID brought structure and rhythm to the entire space, with a strong, dynamic energetic approach. The space is graphic and powerful with the ever-surprising use of patterns, colliding lines energy and more subdued tones than what is usually expected of Viñas’ work. Using a simple and dynamic design, the space is structured in three vastly separate areas: the entrance greets people with splashes of colors - its splatter wallpaper by owner and artist Jason Woodside is reminiscent of the eighties; the middle space, a sitting area, gallery and publication display, is treated as raw box which was left in its original state and then given a thick coating of white paint; the back space is where business happens with the counter as center point and a backdrop of geometrically-shaped shelves that suggest more fractals than furniture.

When Happy Bones first imagined the design for their new venture, UM's style and manufacture felt like the right fit. The UM approach, often described as Industrial Craft, combines cues of the handmade and of the mass-produced and is applied to a broad array of work, including lighting, furniture, musical instruments and recording studios. UM's design cuts across design and technology, juxtaposing mechanical detailing and essential shapes, evoking timeless analog pieces like a classic turntable, a practical appliance or the simple pleasure of turning on a switch. For Happy Bones, UM has designed and made a counter that is part machine, part console. The result is playful with a no less serious sense of execution—engaging and inviting people to connect and focus on both the feel and the experience—a fundamental feeling shared by Happy Bones.

The Happy Bones project relates a creative conversation between GVID and UM, where both have brought what they do best—interiors and furniture respectively. More than a creative fusion, the process was a constant game of creative back and forth—some kind of design ping pong—where both parts worked relatively independently and have known how to elevate their games from each other's input and from the vision of their shared clients. A few fundamentals were agreed upon initially, like the choice of materials and colors that translate a sense of industrial sophistication, the soul of New York City and a warm feeling. Such materials include industrial mesh custom perforated panels, blackened steel and wood. The color palette is made of understated grey, white and black, punctuated by bright blue lighting fixtures.