Storefront for Cake and Architecture

Soho - London

The space is loosely divided by two counters, separating customers from the staff service and preparation areas, without creating a clear distinction between front and back of house. Articulated as rectilinear volumes, these black marble and white marble counters appear as small-scale sculptural forms. A frameless, sand-blasted screen sits atop the former, concealing aspects of the baking process, while a clear glass box on the latter displays cakes and pastries. Ordinary flood-lamps, and plywood tables and lighting boxes have an intentionally unfinished appearance, evoking the open-ended quality of the building process. Adding to this effect is the use of exposed electrical conduit on the ceiling rather than concealing the wiring. Analogously, the continuous floor and wall finishes throughout the customer and staff zones of the space are intended to contribute to the customers’ sense of being in the patisserie kitchen and involved in the baking process.