CEO and Lead Designer, Cameron Fry
'All of the designers here at Liqui Design have a background in furniture and product design, giving us a different perspective when it comes to designing coffee shops and restaurants. Our unique approach means that we give the same amount of care and attention to an entire interior as we do to a single piece of furniture, taking into account all of the individual elements that make up an immersive coherent environment.'
'Beanberry were already coffee experts before conceiving the idea of having their own independent coffee shop in Kingston upon Thames, London. As small batch roasters, they supply the highest quality organic espresso and single origin coffees to artisan cafés and restaurants as well as selling directly to the public.'
'Having studied coffee shops around the world, Beanberry had some strong source concepts for Liqui to work from. They wanted us to create a bit of theatre which led to the design of the U-shaped counter (also referred to as the ‘cockpit’). Centrally located this is the hub of their coffee shop and provides space for the baristas to work with ease. The different levels of the counter allow for retail space, different types of coffee preparation and a seating area where customers can sit and interact with the staff. As well as being functional this design feature is also visually interesting and is enhanced by the bold geometric pattern on the face. For the wall behind the counter, we designed a large shelving unit which offers further retail space. The sink is located beneath this which means that everything is to hand for the staff.'
'The premises had previously been fire damaged and it was decided to leave the walls in their raw state with areas of broken plaster and exposed brickwork. This was brought together by painting them all in the same dark grey which contrasted well with the lighter colours of the contemporary counter and furniture. Combined with the metal lamp shades and ducting this gave an overall Skandi/industrial look to the spacious interior. The furniture was a combination of bar stools in the window and around a large table at the back together with bespoke banquettes and low tables. Although light and minimal in appearance everything was built to be durable.'
Over the years Liqui has worked with a wide range of clients within the coffee industry: from large coffee machine companies to independent coffee shop owners like Beanberry. It’s always a collaborative process between our design team and the client. Working from initial sketches and seating plans we painstakingly create photo-realistic visuals so the client can clearly see what we’re proposing. They can even step inside their imagined interior using one of our virtual reality renders. And we not only design and build entire interiors, but we can create all of the furniture and light fittings too.'
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