C2 Cafe & Bar by Various Associates

Designed by Various Associates, C² Cafe & Bar is a place to socialize and obtain inner peace in an urban environment.

C² Cafe & Bar is not simply a socializing space. The client hopes it will become a “private” destination where young urbanites can shake off pressures, troubles, and obtain inner peace.

With a limited area of 75 meters, the site has to accommodate multiple functional areas, including a kitchen, a bar counter, a public seating area, and an independent private room. As approaching the design, Various Associates firstly tried to figure out how to create a unique, distinctive, and exquisite space while meeting the demands of a functional layout.

C2 Cafe & Bar - facade — C² Cafe & Bar is a place to socialize and obtain inner peace in an urban environment – Image Courtesy of Various Associates

The client hoped the project could be based in different corners throughout the city and provide an urban “holiday cabin” to the community. Besides, a relaxing and intimate atmosphere was required. Taking “Cabin in City” as the design thread, Various Associates conceived an isolated, delicate and distinctive wooden cabin in the concrete jungle.

Cross-sections of cylinders can be seen everywhere in the space. Those details soften the hard edges, remove the coolness of the modern city, and produce a peaceful, cozy spatial ambiance. In this space, people are able to take off all pressures and return to a serene state.

Curious to know more about Café and Restaurant designs? Don’t miss Plants and brutalist concrete blocks by Iranian architect Neda Mirani for a contemporary café.

C2 Cafe & Bar - exterior seating — The hopes for the C² Cafe & Bar project is to be based in different corners throughout the city and provide an urban “holiday cabin” to the community- Image Courtesy of Various Associates

C2 Cafe & Bar - exterior seating closeup — The hopes for the C² Cafe & Bar project is to be based in different corners throughout the city and provide an urban “holiday cabin” to the community- Image Courtesy of Various Associates

The ceiling features a unique slanting structure, which helps integrate the interior and outdoor space. The interior space is not merely a flat view but is more like an artwork enveloped by an exquisite framework, waiting for passers-by to explore.

The silver oval art installation hanging in the space not only breaks the fixed, conventional pattern of the space, but also injects a futurist feeling into it. The mirror-like surface reflects the surroundings and shows a micro world.

C2 Cafe & Bar - interior materials — The interior space of the C² Cafe & Bar is not merely a flat view but is more like an artwork enveloped by an exquisite framework, waiting for passers-by to explore – Image Courtesy of Various Associates

C2 Cafe & Bar - interior overview — The interior space of the C² Cafe & Bar is not merely a flat view but is more like an artwork enveloped by an exquisite framework, waiting for passers-by to explore – Image Courtesy of Various Associates

For Various Associates, this project is a new attempt. The studio hopes it breaks the boundaries between cafe and bar, gets intimate with the community via a popular appearance, and hence brings people closer together. Through the project, Various Associates explored the possibilities of getting close to the community via design, with a view to conveying the concept “Design is Life”.

With an intimate, simplistic, and cabin-like ambiance, C² Cafe & Bar offers a novel destination to the neighborhood and young urbanites who are living a fast-paced life.

Find out more about Café and Restaurant designs with a minimal aesthetic, don’t miss Kanel by Fluo – The Scandinavian inspired bakery serving fresh Kanelbullar on the coast of Thessaloniki.