d'espresso

Located on Madison Avenue, the espresso bar conceptually and literally turns a normal room
sideways, creating a striking identity for the emerging brand.

The client approached nemaworkshop with an ambition to build a unique espresso brand and to develop a creative environment that connects to its location on Madison Avenue near Grand Central Station. Inspired by the nearby Bryant Park Library, nemaworkshop designed a store that is straightforward in a simple twisted way – Take a library and turn it SIDEWAYS. The book-lined shelves become the floor and ceilings and wood floor ends up on the walls meanwhile the pendants protrude sideways from the wall. To achieve the books shelves on the floor, the space is lined with sepia-toned
full size photograph of books printed on custom tiles. The custom tiles run along the floor, up the 15’ foot wall and across the ceiling. The frosted glass wall behind the service counter illuminates the space and the wall directly opposite is clad in dark brown herringbone. The thrust of this
concept finds expression in the lighting and materiality, and ultimately the space gives definition to the emerging brand. The concept itself is bold and receptive to future locations.

nemaworkshop is a team of architects, designers, and thinkers who create spaces which are conceptually innovative and highly sensitive to cultural and social contexts. The studio approaches projects through research and collaborative brainstorming wherein ideas are discussed and reworked until the team emerges with a cohesive concept. The process is a non-linear approach, adhering to the conviction that good ideas can come from unlikely places. Ultimately, the designs challenge architectural typologies, demonstrate acute cultural awareness and reveal original spatial concepts.