#227 BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE SHENZHEN MIXC WORLD CAFE
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#227 BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE SHENZHEN MIXC WORLD CAFE •
Blue Bottle Coffee’s first café in Shenzhen
Located in a 410 m² double-level space within Nanshan District’s MixC World, the cafe connects directly to the street on the ground floor and integrates with a retail mall on the upper level. Following a quintessential characteristic of original Blue Bottle cafes, the design of the space is purposefully abstract and minimal, drawing on the use of solid color and light to zone and accent, and a careful arrangement of ceiling and circulation elements to mediate between the expansive interior space and the more intimate human scale.
The use of light and color is deliberate, creating a strong identity for the café and effectively zoning the expansive interior space. Blue Bottle Coffee’s signature sleek and minimal coffee bar counter, clad in a composite of blue acrylic and metal grilles greets visitors immediately from the street. From inside the café, a solid blue-washed cement staircase visibly connects the ground and upper levels. In the spacious upper-level seating areas, a blue cement “carpet” demarcates the main lounge while a blue back wall forms the undulating backdrop for a series of alcove seating areas. Finally, three giant “chandeliers” in the form of a gridded barrisol ceiling is set above the coffee bar, the staircase and the main lounge, providing a skylit atmosphere while reinforcing the spatiality of each zone.
The selective use of color is echoed also in the design and selection of furnishings. Different seating zones are accented by a variety of custom-made tables – a 10-person circular communal table, a library-style long rectangular table, and smaller 4-person tables – all finished uniformly in the same characteristic blue-washed cement. Complementing these tables are bespoke grey resin chairs, clean and simple in geometry, which enhance the abstract and minimal aesthetic of the space. Scattered throughout, a careful selection of wood furnishings adds a gentle warm accent to the overall atmosphere. Together, these elements complete the design as a novel and welcoming space for people to sit, gather and socialize.
