Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea | Bestor Architecture

Intelligentsia  Silverlake is the West Coast flagship for the Chicago-based specialty coffee importers and roadsters.  Part of the foodie vanguard transforming the aesthetics of coffee enjoyment, Intelligentsia wanted to a create new type of coffeehouse that redefined the tasting experience for modern consumers. A highly visible and accessible location in the heart of Silverlake’s dining and shopping district required sensitivity to the local established style and vernacular. We had to marry that with the client’s devotion to providing customers with an unparalleled coffee and tea experience in an environment steeped in knowledge, thus creating a coffeebar that expressed their own particular culture.  Our solution to bring these two characteristics together was to design a public living room defined by rich material and social qualities.  Theoretically/materially we fashioned a high-low mash up of Donald Judd-like minimalism (the plywood box) and traditional, strikingly bold tile that is reminiscent of coffee houses in Mexico City or Havana.

The super graphic tile’s pattern runs from the side walk through the patio to the inside and up the walls of the central service counter. This center island is intentionally very low to both highlight the beautiful espresso machines and the skilled work of the baristas. The rough marble counter top weaves along the island reaching out to offer more interaction between customers and the baristas. Temporary vinyl “tattoos” of coffee images festoon the minimalist box. The lighting is a grid of vintage porcelain bulb holders hung low above the island.  The café has been a popular landmark and is often mistaken as a place that has always been there.