At the beginning of this year, a new specialty coffee bar named Voyager Espresso opened in a subway concourse in Manhattan’s Financial District, which we discovered last month through our friends of Superfuture. Architecture firm Only If was commissioned to develop an innovative architectural and interior design for its initial retail location in this unusual underground site. In contrast to the oh so familiar and saturated artisanal aesthetic of contemporary coffee culture, the shop’s design and material palette refers to the namesake spacecraft and scientific approach behind the Voyager. This resulted in walls which are clad in oriented strand board, transformed through the application of aluminum enamel paint. Work surfaces consist of black marble countertop, which refers to the texture of the walls. Elsewhere, perforated aluminum, copper, and black rubber are used. Without a doubt this forms one of the most interesting, perfectly executed industrial futuristic interior designs we have seen in a while, not to mention it being done for a coffee bar which is super refreshing to say the least. [ Continue reading ]
Over the last few year the cycling population of Paris (and the rest of the world) has boomed, with many of these Parisian riders - not surprisingly - style-conscious. With all kinds of cycle clubs having opened their doors over the globe, catering to the ever-growing group of cycling lover worldwide, now France's capital also has a spot for enthousiasts to gather and get their gear. With its pale wood and a granite counter, one finds the newly opened Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop at 58 rue de la Fontaine au Roi having stocked a tremendous curation of products, next to the possibility of getting a La Brûlerie Belleville coffee - the best coffee roasters in Paris according to Mr Porter. Whenever you are up for a espresso, flicking through the latest Steel Magazine or meeting other riders for a possible ride: Steel Cyclewear & Coffeeshop is the new place to be. [ Continue reading ]
While putting the last hand on the design of the Mobile Cycle Club Europe we are doing for Rapha, they opened a new chapter of their famous Cycle Clubs, this time in our hometown Amsterdam. In the beautiful historical center of Amsterdam, on the 9 streets and around the corner of our new gallery/studio space of Our Current Obsessions (soon more on that...), Tenue de Nîmes and the Red Wing Shoes Store the Rapha Cycle Club Amsterdam welcomes road cyclists from every continent. Tales of glory, pain or suffering transcends their memory in this historical neighborhood. Although a little challenging when tourist are flocking around, this will be the perfect place to start a ride, escaping the city for the windy northern water lands, making your round on the ‘Ronde Hoep’, or a longer ride towards Utrecht and the Amerongse Berg (Mountain of Amerongen with its 69,2 meter high, yes we have that). [ Continue reading ]
On the 24th of January inspirational force Maison Kitsuné will take up residence at number 68 rue Condorcet (9th arrondissement) in hometown Paris. Listed on the Inventory of Historical Monuments, the building in which the boutique will house was built in 1862 by the French architect Viollet-le-Duc. Conceived by Emiliano Salci and Britt Moran, of DIMORESTUDIO, the 70 m² venue welcomes both the men's and women's collections as well as a Café Kitsuné. Inspired by the universe of Maison Kitsuné and by a shared passion for detail and the mixing up of genres, DIMORESTUDIO unveils a warm and functional space where complimentary colours and textures, simple lighting and materials, symmetrical lines and volumes are core concepts. Shades of lapis blue and carmine red are given pride of place; the walls, floor and doorways are swathed in a satiny aluminium. Tables are rendered from stratified wood, blue and ivory, while the chairs in the Café Kitsuné are finished with amaranth fur. The all-dominating wood, in a variety of species and dimensions, has been recuperated and re-modelled to measure, creating an elegant environment in perfect Kitsuné style. We can't wait to visit! [ Continue reading ]
We love coffee in all its forms, and last weekend our favorite coffee bar The Village Coffee & Music was kind enough to offer a delicious cold brew to the public during the 24 hour LiveBuild fundraiser, which took place throughout the city of Utrecht. Illustrator Raymond Teitsma was responsible for the design of the label on the medicine-like bottle, exclusively brewed for and entirely donated to the project. This year's 24 hour LiveBuild raised money for the Manganjo water project. This endeavor aims to achieve the facilitation of clean drinking water and proper sanitation in the Cameroonian villages: Mabonji, Nganjo Nene and Nganjo Titi. Once, through amongst others the donations during last weekends fundraiser, the villages are provided with the proper wells, they will manage and maintain the water system itself from a yet to establish local water business. [ Continue reading ]
We love, especially now during the Holidays, the latest by Crooked Nose & Coffee Stories from Vilnius, Lithuania; a cold brew coffee made out of freshly and light roasted Colombian Medellin beans, steeped for 14 hours. It's also double filtered to have a texture as soft as possible. The first batch of the hand bottled coffee consist of 35 items and was presented during Christmas market organized by Lithuanian Design Block in Vilnius, Lithuania. [ Continue reading ]
Two weeks ago we were invited by Kees Kraakman, the man behind the coffee roastery located in the North of Amterdam as part of the cooperative Open Coöp named Stadsbranderij Noord. Kees has been a household name in the Dutch coffee industry for quite some years now. His life in coffee started in 1999 at The Golden Coffee Box as a friend of his was working there and he was looking for a job after finishing high school. Having worked there for little over 10 years Kees left and started as an independent in the coffee industry giving training and consulting, and eventually starting the coffee roastery Stadsbranderij Noord. [ Continue reading ]
When you’re blessed with one of the best coffee places in the Netherlands just around the corner it’s obvious you will make it your second home. And when you are proud of what they are doing there, you spread the word and give it some more attention. That’s what… [ Continue reading ]
Last week The Village Coffee & Music officially opened its doors in Utrecht. A small coffeebar with a proper taste of music and the potential of becoming my new living (if it’s not already). The coffee is coming from Caffenation, tea’s from Kusmi and… [ Continue reading ]