Fatface Coffee pop-up store copy

Fatface Coffee pop-up store

Designed by Baicai, the Fatface Coffee pop-up store is located within the WINDOW Gallery space in Shenyang and runs for one month.

Project Info:

Status: built, 2022
Area: sqm
Client: FATFACE
Location: ShenYang
Photography: Topia Vision

Fatface is a local boutique coffee shop in Shenyang. Its brand values embody an emphasis on coffee quality, concept, and a positively rebellious attitude. The design integrates these values into both the space and the brand, drawing inspiration from an understanding of local context and coffee culture.

Shenyang is a city of beer culture. From the atmosphere of its streets and alleys to the character of its people, the role of beer culture within the urban and cultural fabric is thought-provoking. What role should coffee culture play in conversing with it? How to approach beer culture, and how to approach coffee culture? This pop-up store explores the existence and relationship between the two, using installation methods and direct signifiers to express the cultural clash.

Considering the cost control and spatial tension required for a short-term pop-up, we chose modular beer crates as the building blocks for all furniture. Through the unique structure of the beer crates and their combination with custom panels, we realized various possibilities including the bar counter, seating, merchandise display, and MEP integration.

We used a long bar counter composed of 300 crates to define the activities within the space, creating the most direct spatial interactive experience. The transparency of the glass countertop reveals the complete volumetric logic of the crate elements. The design subverts traditional layout logic by swapping the positions of the barista and the guests. It appears to eliminate face-to-face communication space between guests, but actually directs the view outward to the window. All seats face the window view, reinforcing the spatial orientation and highlighting the inherent qualities of the gallery space.

The final spatial presentation is inclusive and precise, allowing people to explore an open proposition within a relaxed atmosphere.