All images courtesy of Oculis Project.

A cafe in Abu Dhabi gets an earth-toned rehaul

Redesigned by Bone, La Petite cafe in Al Ain now features a chunky pink counter at its centre.

Located in Al Ain’s Al Tiwayyah neighbourhood in Abu Dhabi, UAE, a popular cafe has recently been revamped to suit a contemporary design language.

Redesigned by Bone, a UAE-based design studio established a little over two years ago, La Petite cafe now features a soft pastel coloured interior with minimal furnishing and materials.

At its centre, a chunky pink plaster counter distinguishes the space. Comprising two different-sized blocks (the taller one conceals back-of-house utilities, while the lower one frames the order preparation zone), the counter spans most of the 85-square-metre space.

Surrounding the counter is a row of earth-tone poufs, while a cushioned bench was designed into the taller block.

The studio hoped to redefine the conventional coffee bar, thus highlighting the “longitudinal nature” of the space. While the monolithic volume functions as a working, serving, display, table and seating surface, the designers at Bone also tried to refrain from it appearing invasive.

In a statement released by the studio, the designers wrote, “The idea was to create a sunken block that serves both the barista and the customer.

“The goal was to achieve a fluid interaction between the customer seated in front of the bar and the barista at work behind the bar – where both eye levels meet.”

More seating is also provided on one end of the cafe, where a white sofa runs the length of the wall. Inspired by the majlis, the sofa is meant to evoke cushioned floor seating. Throughout as well, black-frame geometric chairs are available to use.

For the walls, the designers washed the surfaces with sandy-beige plaster – a decor element meant to reference Al Ain’s desert landscape.

Beyond the 3.2-metre-high glazed panels that can be concertinaed to open the space up, a gravelled outdoor terrace is further decorated with casual fold-out timber chairs.