Designer's Note
“Embedded within the Centre Pompidou Seoul in the city of Korea, the new %ARABICA store is envisioned as a fluid space where coffee, color, and movement converge into a singular spatial experience that welcomes visitors into the expansive openness of the cultural venue.
Defined by fluid geometries and a cheerful yet elegant material palette, the space establishes a luminous presence within this open environment.
The intervention revolves around a central counter island, where coffee preparation becomes a performative gesture. Wrapped in glossy white surfaces and highlighted by saturated yellow accents, the counter emerges as the visual and social core of the project. Surrounding it, a continuous seating system of comfortable sofas and coffee tables unfolds organically, encouraging visitors to inhabit the space in an informal and collective manner.
Overhead, mirrored ceilings amplify the perception of depth and reflect the movement of visitors, light, and objects. Suspended linear luminaires trace subtle gestures through the air, reinforcing the project’s dynamism.
Rather than functioning solely as a café, the project operates as a spatial experience in which light, reflection, and color transform the ritual of coffee into a collective and immersive event, enhancing the visitor experience within the exhibition space.”
