Architect: Normless Architecture Studio
Project: Cups Nine Cafe & Patisserie
Location: Trikala, Greece
Date: August 2016 – October 2016
Size: 52 m²
Photos: Kostas Spathis
Cups Nine is a cafe and patisserie in Trikala, Greece, designed by Normless Architecture Studio.
A new Cups Nine opened its doors, this time as a Cafe & Patisserie store. Right in the heart of the school district and opposite of one of the most popular city’s squares, the Old Despotiko, the new Cups Nine comes to shake up the city for one more time and reintroduce the street coffee shops. The owners envisioned a new space that can serve their best seller coffee as well as their new products adopting them to the needs of the modern life.
The architects translated this vision into a space where the boundaries between the interior and the exterior space are blurred. The seating area, the serving bar are all flexible and accessible either from the inside or the outside. It becomes unclear where the store ends and the street begin. This was mainly achieved through the surrounding window frames, which were all custom and handmade metal work. The windows open and the bar area doubles inside the arcade. A similar thing happens on the street side where the wooden tables slide and move on the other side so that you can enjoy your beverage overlooking the city.
Inside the long and narrow space, the store is divided into the serving and seating area by a long wooden bar, which is interrupted by a metal light box that is the cashier point. All woodwork is again custom made by a local carpenter. As soon as you open the door you immediately take notice of the impressive flooring, which is a successful blend of laminate and hexagon black tiles that run through the store and continue on the wooden bars. The interior and exterior walls, as well as the ceiling are all covered with Kourasanit, a natural coating.
The remarkable mural paintings of Asteris Dimitriou, decorate the walls and has become one of the shop’s trademarks. The new Cups Nine store came to change with its unique space and products, yet again, the urban landscape of the city of Trikala.
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