Greenhouse Cafè | Roni Keren interior design studio

The original "Greenhouse Cafe" was located in the heart of the Shilat community garden center. The inspiration for the design of the new restaurant/cafe came from the nursery itself and was integrated with the plants grown at the garden center.

The backdrop of the garden center space creates a unique atmosphere and environment and became the visual motif for the new design. It also set the values for the program design of the future restaurant-café which was planned to re-open in the new commercial center of Reut Village. Values and visual motifs from the garden center were translated into architectural elements. The rst step was to create a homogeneous shell space covering 160 square meters and give it the feel of a greenhouse.

The space was covered in birch wood boards with computer modeled leaves in dierent sizes, using CNC technology. As an integral part of the shell, and in order to maintain homogeneity, the doors leading to the seating area from the kitchen and bathroom were also designed with the same leaves. The lobby to the restrooms is covered with concrete-like 80/40 tiles continued from the seating area oor in order to create a uniform appearance and ow. The restrooms foyer is used for ritual hand washing and the space is divided into stalls for men and women.

The stalls are covered in wood-like tiles in three shades. There is a spatial pergola in the seating area designed to create a stable framework and a dimension of repetitive motion achieved by the appearance of the leaves on the walls of the spaces’ shell. The pergola provides a sense of an intimate space, denes the restaurants’ seating area and connects the interior and exterior areas. The pergolas’ pillars are located in the perimeter of the restaurant, so as not to restrict the positioning of tables and allow for change in accordance with needs of the restaurant.

There are three different seating layouts: Bar, Island and tables - all designed to create the character of a restaurant and not just a cafe, where each customer can choose the type of seating they prefer. Seating on the island provides a glimpse into what is happening in the kitchen. Customers can look through the panoramic window and see the plates coming out of the kitchen. The placement of the island near the kitchen space was designed to give a sense of closeness and access to the heart of the restaurant.

The light textures were designed and custom made for this project. Made of wood and partially painted, the light textures were are in dierent geometric shapes and hang over the various seating areas. The four colors that I selected to accompany the project are expressed in the light xtures, the wall hexagons tiles which serve as the backdrop for the main bar, the furniture, the lobby to the restrooms and other additional elements. The choice of these colors was made to maintain the dominance of the birch shade which set the tone for the central space.