Artcaffe goes minimalist

By Wangeci Kanyeki

Nairobi, Kenya: Local café restaurant and bakery chain Artcaffe has unveiled their latest outlet, which is situated in Westlands, Nairobi. I decided to tour the place to see if the interiors are as artsy as the restaurant’s name suggests.

Designed and decorated by an in-house team, the ambience of the restaurant is inviting and seems to beg one to sit and unwind in casual elegance. The entrance is inviting as one encounters the alluring aroma of Kenyan coffee brewing, blended with the sweet warmth of homemade bread, pastries, cakes and desserts.

A distinct colour scheme of magnolia and dark wood colour cascades across the restaurant, giving it a French classical look. “This is a common factor in all our branches,” says Njeri Kariuki, ArtCaffe’s Marketing and Communications Manager. “However, we have added some special touches to this branch that will make it stand out from the other Artcaffes. These include a lounge area and a large outdoor terrace, which permits our clients to enjoy the pleasant Nairobi weather as they watch the bustling Westlands scene. ”

Style

Site Manager and Project Team Leader, Jacob Opundo, said of the new features: “Artcaffe Oval’s style integrates a lot of creativity by using a distinct colour scheme of mahogany floor panels, natural stone finishes and an eye-catching mural, not to mention a large balcony space with a sitting capacity of 150.”

A rustic black wooden bar creates a focal point at the restaurant with a single file alignment of the barstools, while the mahogany floor panels bear a mature matt finish. In the midst of sweet jazz music, a mural pasted on the window panes above the bar with millimetre detailed accuracy catches my attention with its illustrations of Paris eiffel tower, London’s Big Ben and Kenya’s vintage stamp to reflect the caffe’s cosmopolitan clientele base.

A quote on the mural, “Monday Hates You, Too”, makes me ponder on how the “poor day” could improve the negative attitude we have of it; while the quote “When Life Gives You Lemons, Add Salt and Ask for Tequila”, reminds me to relax and not to take life too seriously.

Lighting

Black bowl-shaped ceiling lights suspend over the bar and their inside yellow hue produce a pleasant warm glow. By using big frosted glass panels to separate the indoor restaurant from the terrace, the indoor light marries into the natural outdoor light, creating a sense of connection with the outside.

Enjoying the fine Nairobi weather, sunsets and sunrises are visible from the restaurant through the open shutters, removing any sense of clastophobia.

The restaurant uses minimalist style with an airy and spatial sense of space. Wine bottles, glasses and bar seats are placed in straight lines to give a sense of order. Picture frames unified in black aligned frames create a stark contrast to the magnolia walls as they entice you with brands of the drinks incorporated in the bar menu. The mirrors at the lounge give an illusion of depth as they reflect the light and brighten up the space.

Installed from the ceiling to the floor, a light green ceramic tiled wall near the kitchen provides a refreshing oasis for the eye to rest amidst all the surrounding warm colours. The wall to the pizza kitchen stations is an extention of the wooden floor panels at the restaurant.

A readable 3D French inscription is spray painted in white colour to create a contrast against the dark brown wall panel. I really should have paid more attention during my French classes. With the help of the spotlights, I can only pick out the words translating bread and wine while the rest of the words fade off into oblivion.

View

From the terrace, one has an aerial view of the apex of the architectural fascination of the visa Oshwal Temple. A blend of comfortable magnolia wicker seats and wooden chairs provide a sitting capacity under a pagoda canopy, which permits natural tropical sunlit rays, while filtering the scotching heat. Complemented with outdoor umbrellas, the wicker seats are made from natural materials, which absorb little heat.

Tables are set to enable privacy both for indivudials and for groups to have intimate face-to-face conversations

A textured natural stone floor anchors the outdoor feel as one overlooks the westlands bustle and the different elements of art tickle various senses through music, texture, lighting, the taste of pastries and the sweet aroma of Dormans coffee.