Community Focused Bakery Design in KL

The challenge:

Universal Bakehouse is a community-focused bakery that services dine-in patrons while operating a full swing production kitchen. How do we design a cozy café while allowing bread making to be part of the dining experience?

The Ground Up solution:

Bread can be made with a simple combination of flour, yeast, and water. The bakery was designed to channel this very core sense of simplicity, that oozed a nostalgic feel – which doesn’t end up inadvertently overshadowing the hero of the bakery: the bread itself.

With this in mind, we combined European minimalism together with a retro and rustic vibe to turn Universal Bakehouse into yesteryear’s bakeries that emphasized on the community, the people, and bread. We created a space that is familiar and warm by the use of different shades of dark wood, subway tiles, and cement flooring.

Large glass panels span across the façade and the partition between the café and showcase the kitchen to form seamless visual interaction. Patrons are given the opportunity to see the master bakers in action while passersby can peer into the cozy café.

Finishing the look with a heritage-inspired signboard that pays homage to the original 40-year-old laundry shop’s signboard which was fully hand-painted, patrons are brought back in time to indulge in a nostalgic experience.

The Garden Café Retail Design & Build

The challenge: 

The Garden Café is located within an office building that primarily services the tenants who work there. It is essentially a modern-day cafeteria that has to be attractive to the same customers but the brand also lacked identity.

The Ground Up solution:

The cafe is located next to an outdoor space, so we decided to bring the “refreshing & calming” outdoors indoors, hence inspiring the name of the space. We emulated outdoor elements, by introducing soft scape and outdoor materials so that diners could enjoy an ‘alfresco’ experience while nestled snugly indoors away from the Malaysian weather.

Pebbled pathways, shrubbery, custom geometric tiles on tabletops, turquoise seating paired with an array of wood, bricks, stone, and concrete create a contemporary yet familiar atmosphere to locals. Tones of maroon on the ceiling and orange terracotta give the space a sense of warmth while a playful statement nature-themed wallpaper tie the whole garden look together.

Ample sunlight floods through the space with an obstructed glass façade while views of the outside greenery gave patrons a break from the long hours of working indoors. Cozy and ambient lighting was introduced to offset the bright daylight for extra comfort.

Happy Stan Cafe & Cocktail Bar Design & Build

The challenge:

Happy Stan is a café and cocktail bar whose concept is to empower bartenders and baristas alike to engage dynamically, serving coffee and cocktail throughout the day. The catch? Its design needed to align with the building’s theme which was modern colonial and it is also situated as the façade of The Republik. All whilst needing to own an appearance of a café and cocktail bar at the same time.

The Ground Up solution:

We approached the space aiming to make it a transformative one, where it served as a work and meeting friendly space in the day that transitions into a more intimate + bar setting at night.

We made sure the place oozed colonial vibes, ranging from louvered timber doors, period relevant decor such as the bookshelf, combined with a black steel and glass façade that channels timeless sophistication.

The showcased bar was the main focal point whereby bartenders and baristas can display their work together for an educational and immersive experience. The bar is draped in leather that is warm and familiar, topped with a custom green stone counter and lined with brass elements for that elegant touch.

The bar sits in the middle of the room that is divided into an indoor area where most customers would be accommodated and an alfresco area; which also served as a general thoroughfare for other customers of the building to walk across and be part of the atmosphere. The bar services 360 degrees of the room without obstructing the customers’ views of the entire space.

To complete the look, old school electric switches and custom fabricated ambient lighting were added and we also injected local vibes with patterned floor tiles and rattan furniture that is quintessential Malaysian.

Modern yet colonial with plenty of old school charm, we’re proud to be a part of this amazing piece of art.