Alchemy Origin

Metagram has designed Alchemy Origin, the newest cafe addition to the Alchemy Coffee group. Nestled into the chic, newly completed lobby of Two Tai Koo Place, the cafe is located in a winding space which sits between a curved courtyard-facing facade and an S-shaped wall bordering the building’s commercial lift lobby.



Metagram created a contextual and sculptural design for a cafe located in a highly visible site with a large glass frontage and an open entry from the commercial building's main lobby. The design visually blended with its context while telling the brand's story. The greater lobby's stone floor finish and ceiling baffle system were retained, tying the cafe interior into the context. The undulating baffles created a landscape of their own and complemented the concept.



A large stone-cladded wall was refinished in textured plaster and warm red tone pigments to mimic rammed-earth construction. Custom banquettes and loose furniture represented materials and colors of rural plantations, such as terracotta rough surfaced tiles and red travertine tables. Tables with laser-cut topography and an architectural topographic model of a typical coffee farm in Colombia were distributed through the cafe.



A coffee pod-inspired feature shelf was designed to wrap a three-meter diameter column, creating nooks to hold display pods and showcase sentimental paraphernalia from coffee farms worldwide. The espresso bar intentionally departed from the curved design aesthetic, featuring a distinctly geometric form that symbolized the precision of artisan coffee making.



Five cylindrically shaped skylight-like features penetrated the baffle ceiling, emphasizing the topography of the ceiling and creating evocative spaces with the furniture elements below. The crowning element of the design was a sculpted fin that appeared like an illuminated river or ridge, intentionally developed to organically tie each individual element and context together.



The retention of the ceiling and floor minimized unnecessary waste, and all lighting was intentionally selected as LED and dimmed to minimize energy consumption. Overall, Metagram's design created a visually stunning and sustainable space that told the brand's story and connected it to coffee plantations worldwide.