When confronted with the brief to design a space for an artisan chocolatier, 780 square feet in size, the Los Angeles?based studio Arch&Type didn’t focus on enhancing the food alone but on the craftsmanship and consumption of that food. Rather than something as obvious as painting cocoa beans on the wall, designers Seth Amman and Adam McCullough considered chocolate’s emotional and physiological effects, then worked backward to conjure up those feelings through material and space. Inspired by client Ben Johnson, who showed me a drool-worthy image of untempered crystallized chocolate, all molten and silky and flowy, it started with translating some of the feelings one associate with chocolate?comfort, mystery, warmth, decadence?into the physical space © Kim Smith
The result is a warm, textured atmosphere created through the palette of soft matte white oak, subtle lime-wash paint, large aggregate concrete, gilded mirrored metal, and gold. Brass touches on the casework and wall bases similarly mirror the appearance of the parametric river ceiling. These elements combine to form a cohesive and luxurious experience, enhanced by the encounter of savoring a truffle that melts away to reveal a complex flavor profile
Golden ceiling tiles
Much like the discipline required to write a sonnet, the design process embraced its constraints, turning limitations into creative opportunities. Rather than lamenting the costs of custom casework and ceiling tiles, the designers c...