Page 26 - Designing Ways 256

COMMERCIAL
INTERIOR

muted colours. Of note is the coffee bar In many ways, Orijins offers the
made of solid blocks of different kinds of sanctitude of an ancient chapel. The
marble. Its beautifully curved shape - an minimalistic interiors relay a rare beauty
unusual structure for your typical coffee found through the magic of opaque hues
bar - adds itself a dreamy and raw form to and rich natural materials. Such a sparsely
the light and airy space. decorated space is also representative
VSHD put great focus into incorporating of the vision of VSHD, and belief in the
a mix of textures and materials, all with beauty of imperfection, and the humility
minimal colour contrast and definition. and integrity that comes from living
Of note are the textiles - fur, boucle, in tune with imperfect nature. Orijins
and heavy weaves - used to complement represents the design firm’s interpretation
the raw natural concept and sculptural of what it means to be calm, to sit still, and
quality of the design and resulting space. to observe the beauty that can be found
The main inspiration for the cafe was even in our flawed, everyday reality.
derived from the natural world, and from The silver lining of the pandemic is that
a collection of stones picked up from the it once again brought us closer to nature
shores of the Red Sea. Nature takes the and allowed us to fully appreciate it. Nature
lead here, but it does so innovatively. Just is divine: VSHD designs are all about going
as the natural light gently beams through back to the origins of things, and creating
the space, leaving an array of shadows an environment that is as close to nature
on the plastered earthy walls, the close as possible. It is the feeling of calm and
observer will also notice the almost serenity one gets when sitting on a rock by
enigmatic influence of technology. A very the sea or on sand in the desert.
slim LED strip, located along the length Relentless sketching of abstract shapes
of the space, showcases a gentle arch and volumes fosters a feel of rocks shaped
in the ceiling. It is a small spotlight that by the force of nature. Taking a very
illuminates the bar area and a bespoke innovative approach to the layout of the
wall light designed by VSHD, and is made coffee bar, the seven marble blocks were
in brushed aluminum that ever so subtly sketched by hand, converted to 3-D
decorates the sparse space. models, and were fed into a CNC machine

26 Issue 256 • dw