La Colombe
270 Lafayette Street
New York, New York
Tel: 212-625-1717
Designer: OBRA Architects and Andrew Jevremovic/Octo Studio  

The Philadelphia-based coffee purveyor La Colombe Torrefaction takes a hard-line approach to java: Its retail cafes have no menu, and the few espresso-based drinks available are made only from select, house-roasted beans. For the company’s fourth retail outlet (and second in New York), it sought to turn this barebones simplicity into compelling contemporary design. “We didn’t want the extreme of either old or modern,” said Douglas Takeshi Wolfe, partner for La Colombe’s retail operation. Taking a middle road, OBRA Architects designed the project’s main concepts and prominent glass facade, enlarging the entry with a curved doorway that brings natural light into the space. The motif continues with a curved bar, and benches that converge by the baristas to move customers seamlessly through the cafe. Andrew Jevremovic of Octo Studio in Philadelphia designed and fabricated the tables, benches, and bar, as well as the space’s milky-white light fixtures. Tiger maple from New Hampshire lends a touch of nature, while the vintage Faema espresso machines attest to the firm’s traditional ethos. On that front, artist David Guinn’s wall mural deconstructs a street scene in Naples, importing a touch of that city’s hypercaffeinated culture into the heart of Soho.