Blue Bottle Coffee, a roaster based in Oakland, crossed over the Pacific a long time ago, establishing a string of design-led coffee parlours in Japan, South Korea, China, and as of late, also in Singapore. But now, the company has entered a new and promising market in the Far East, opening two cafés in one its most popular travel and shopping destinations—Bangkok. The first café opened its doors in the city’s Central Park shopping centre, while this one, almost entirely dipped in blue, was inaugurated a mere three days later at EmQuartier, another plush shopping mecca situated alongside bustling Thanon Sukhumvit. Designed by I IN, an architecture practice based in Tokyo, the setting of this Blue Bottle Coffee café sees a central service counter with an imposing canopy that’s inspired by Thailand‘s traditional lantern festivals.

The volume, covered entirely in Blue Bottle Coffee‘s signature bright blue hue, extends upwards and ties in effortlessly with the counter below. Mind you, the entire backdrop, the walls and ceiling are dipped in a complementing soft blue, while gold, a colour associated with good fortune, is captured by specific elements. Additionally, teak, a material deeply familiar in Thailand, is used for the furniture and fixtures. Lighting adds another visual dimension, and it’s integrated indirectly into the ‘blue lantern’ and along its lower edges. Soft, graduated shadows emerge across its surface, creating the sensation that the object itself is floating in the air and lending the space a light, dreamlike atmosphere. The menu at Blue Bottle Coffee café lists a variety of classic and drip coffee concoctions, in additions a selection of freshly baked pastrries. © superfuture