Studio BANAA Designs Maximalist Micro-Café

The standard java chain links are repairable but barely marked for a fun full tilt design. For Voyager Craft Coffee’s the newest outpost, BANAA Studio created a lively micro-café with echoes of 1980s Italian-style Memphis and Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

For the company’s sixth location for the company, the designers applied a consistent visual language, but went even bolder. “This is an evolution of the brand, but for this project they wanted to go all out on color,” says Dane Bunton, co-founder and CEO of Studio BANAA.

Located in San Jose, California, the former seafood restaurant was just 1,000 square feet. To create the condensed maximalist environment the team envisioned, they approached the space of the line as a painter’s composition and unfolded it in a longitudinal section. Nastaran Mousavi, co-founder and director of Studio BANAA, referred to the papers of a famous French artist. “I was inspired by Matisse and his collages to bring materials and textures in a very cohesive way,” he notes.

A sculptural coffee bar is clad in pink perforated metal and wrapped with built-in shelves. Its cylindrical form with aprons organizes circulation for both customers and front-of-house staff and serves as a focal point. Lacquers and powder finishes not only keep surfaces clean in high-touch areas, but also provide depth within the narrow footprint.

The curves are repeated above and throughout the interior. Scalloped edge pendants add a playful touch, paired with a squiggle LED inset. Cushioned benches and blue steel tables complete the look. These pieces of furniture are surrounded by wavy wall decorations, which are reflected in the window ledges.

Two custom murals feature abstract topography, derived from maps of Brazil and Ethiopia, where Voyager sources its premium baked beans. Rendered in saturated shades of blue, green and coral, the graphics are not literally local, but represent lands that exist in one’s imagination.

The coffee endpoint, although compact, does not skimp on the elevated design. “We didn’t have that many architectural moves to play with, so it’s a jumble of elements that kind of come together,” Mousavi explains. “This is a small space with a big presence.”

To see more work from the studio, visit studiobanaa.com.

Photo courtesy of Mikiko Kikuyama.

Anna Zappia is a New York-based writer and editor with a passion for textiles and can often be found at a fashion show or shopping for more books. Anna writes the Friday Five column, as well as commercial content.