Coffee House
2023
Coffee House is the flagship dine-in café for TAG Espresso, situated in the heart of Singapore's shopping district, Orchard Road. Marking the brand's first physical café, the project was conceived as a social destination — not merely a retail stop. Its name and concept are derived from the Chinese characters 咖啡屋, literally 'Coffee' and 'House', with the design setting out to recreate the warmth and familiarity of a friend’s backyard garden within a bustling context of a shopping mall.
TEAM
Ar. Melvin Keng
Erica Ang
PHOTOGRAPHY
Khoo Guojie
A 'house' form inserted into the shop lot generates the spatial concept — its negative space becoming the 'garden' dining area, evoking the quiet familiarity of a domestic backyard. Pebble wash, stone pavers, upcycled concrete ventilation bricks, and natural plywood ground the dining zone in texture and memory.
At the centre, a breeze block island counter lit by a custom diffused-light pendant anchors the barista’s working space — doubling as a cocktail counter by night. Throughout, detailing is treated as a design medium: tessellated brickwork, custom furniture, and a sphere-legged cash register that carries a quiet architectural wit.
Rumah Kechik
2024
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PROJECTS
Terrace Flat
2022