Cloud 9
604 West Belmont Avenue
Chicago, Illinois
Tel: 773-857-1255
Designer: Product Architecture + Design

In Lakeview, a tiny ice cream boutique is tempting Chicagoans with a cheery design and equally sweet desserts. The family-owned company is the first to bring the Taiwanese “snow ice” to the city. After naming the spot after a blissfully happy state of mind, the siblings set out to find designers that could create a truly fun, colorful, and soft interior. The job was a good fit for Product Architecture + Design, a firm with a notable portfolio of children’s libraries. “We know that these spaces don’t have to be silly, and that they can be whimsical and modern at the same time,” said Dan Pohrte, a principal at the firm. To make the 30-seat eatery appear more spacious, the designers went for a clean and graphic look, where a few key areas were given a punch of bold colors, inspired by the multiple shades of the fluffy ices. Suspended from the ceiling in different elevations are randomly placed soap bubble–shaped pendants from Kartell, and above the counter, a pink fluorescent light box calls to the passerby after closing time.