The given site in located in OMR, one of Chennai’s bustling IT corridors in Tamilnadu, India. Reflecting the locale, The Client wanted to open a Café, which would draw the IT professionals, offering them a space to unwind, relax, and enjoy a moment of respite amidst their busy routines.
Project Name: PORTAL – Cafe
Studio Name: SoL.Architects
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Year Built: 2024
Total Area: 1990 Sq.ft
Lead Designers: Ar Aarthi, Ar Nelson sujai
Photography Credit’s: Santhosh | HOSH Pictures
By addressing this, we envisioned a space that seamlessly combines work and leisure. A café that is more than just a place to grab a bite. As a result the café is equipped with spaces where they could dine & work, complete with power outlets beneath the tables, A fun space featuring casual, easy-going retro games, allowing guests to enjoy nostalgic moments with their peers, an a screening zone where teams can discuss presentations or enjoy movies and matches together and an open smoking area in the Terrace.
This design brief inspired us to blend two distinct ideas for the theme of the café. A CYBER SPACE – a reflection of modern trends, and RETRO AESTHETICS – a timeless classic giving rise to a seamless marriage between the OLD & NEW (or contemporary with the Vintage twist) ultimately shaping the CYBER- style interiors.
Metal meshes were chosen as a key element of the interiors shaping the Ceiling, the wall partitions and parts of the flooring. This choice adds a raw, edgy touch to every corner, amplifying the space’s cyber edge of the space.
And the lighting? The lighting in this café is what truly brings the cyber theme to life. It’s not just about illuminating the space but setting the mood and creating an experience that feels dynamic every time you walk in by shifting the mood, based on the events hosted within.
For instance, in the dining & the Gaming area, The LED strips trace the mesh partitions, running seamlessly from the ceiling down the walls, bathing the spaces in bold, shifting hues. These lights don’t just illuminate—they define the spaces, like the lighting itself is part of the design, interacting with the surroundings to create a constantly evolving atmosphere.
Then there’s the screening area. A grid of suspended LED light panels with colour-changing features add a Cyber – Retro feel, that adapts well to the context such as dance parties , matches and movie screenings, amplifying the mood and making the space feel immersive.
Adding a final layer of character are the neon LED signage’s adorning the walls. The overall interiors are finished with dark, glossy surfaces that create a suitable backdrop for neon lights to glow vibrantly in the dark being unapologetically cyber. These glowing neon quote signage’s engage in a silent yet constant dialogue with the guests, infusing the space with a sense of drama.
Therefore every light in this café does more than just brighten a room. It creates mood, adds character, making lighting not just a functional element but a defining feature of the café’s identity.
The Guests are greeted by satin finish micro-cement flooring that reflects the subtle glow of hidden RGB lights. The flooring in front of the main door is demarcated with a CNC cut metal floor that pairs
With its ceiling above. Moreover other elements like, retro-inspired optical illusion wallpaper and the neon LED signage’s on the mesh partition walls instantly immerse you in the cyber vibe.
The Guests enter through a sturdy and fortified door, finished with a brushed metal finish and is complete with riveted edges and airtight seals around an A fluted glass window in warm orange tones, casting a nostalgic retro glow. This door opens into a narrow corridor that divides the dining area from the play zone and terminates at the movie screening area. The entire café space is fully lined with acoustic foam to keep the sound from reaching outside
To playfully engage visitors, the false ceiling of the corridor unfolds a story through a series of art frames. As guests walk through, they’re encouraged to decipher the narrative, which ultimately delivers the message: “AI vs Nature >> AI with Nature >> AI and Nature as one >> AI yields to Nature in reverence and admiration.” That is to say “Amidst the chaos and the rush toward a futuristic world, nature will ultimately prevail, and we must learn to embrace it.”
When it comes to the furniture elements, like the dining tables, are also designed with flexibility in mind. The Dining tables feature a recessed areas beneath the glass tops, which can be filled with various elements that complements to the events hosted to complement the theme, further enhancing the dynamic feel of the space.
For example, on Valentine’s Day, the entire space takes on a red hue with the lighting, and the tables are filled with roses, creating a completely immersive and thematic experience for guests.
The rich shadowy backdrop in the movie screening area along with its suspended LED panel lights heightens the cinematic feel of the space making it an ideal setting for an immersive viewing experience. Bringing a personal touch to this space, the client’s desire to showcase his collection of toys and showpieces has been seamlessly integrated into the design. An inclined showcase unit has been strategically placed above the movie screen, not just to highlight the collection but also to ensure visitors can view the items from an optimal angle, enhancing their viewing experience.
Transitioning to the terrace above, this space effortlessly accommodates essential services, including a fully equipped kitchen, DG room, hand wash stations, and washrooms and open smoking area.
The front wall of the kitchen is an exposed Fly-ash brick wall arranged in a specific pattern adding a character. The rest of the open terrace is filled with lush leafy plants on one side while the other end complemented by glowing neon signage’s in-between that pop against a black wall, featuring a vibrant reflective retro art flowing across the wall, making it a photogenic backdrop.
Coming to the Elevation façade, during one of the visit to the client’s office, we noticed stacks of cable trays discarded in their backyard. As the client is an electrical contractor, we proposed repurposing these metal scraps to create a cost-effective and visually unique façade. The portal logo was prominently displayed on the façade, mounted on the repurposed cable trays, with a black backdrop enhancing its visibility. Warm LED lights were used to illuminate the logo, creating a captivating glow that added a contemporary touch.
Ultimately, the design strives to seamlessly merge cyber-inspired aesthetics with a touch of vintage charm, delivering a truly one-of-a-kind experience for visitors, where they are introduced right from the entrance on the ground floor and carried through the staircase core, finished with glossy grey tiles and G.I chequered plate edges, alongside a Graphite grey mesh handrail with a flickering dim tube lights , evoking the feel of a cyber subway offering a subtle preview of the cyber-café ahead.
