Serving Culture & Sustainability at this Cafe & Retail Fitout 

Celebrating South Asian tradition within the heritage context of Queen Victoria Market, Original Chai Co had been operating out of a humble cart since 2014 and was ready to scale to a permanent location. Our clients were part of the newer wave of immigrants from India and the brand was in its nascent phase. On the heels of the Covid lockdowns, budget remained tight while the heritage location warranted strict adherence to requirements.

Read on to find out how we balanced all the various elements – culture, costs, operational efficiency, and brand evolution – in this café fitout.  

Showcasing Brand Identity through Culture 2.0

Quintessential Tea Leaves

Not only were our clients immigrants from India, but with their design background, they shared our vision of embracing “Culture 2.0” where modernity and tradition are not opposites but coexistent.  Our starting conversations soon translated into design elements that turned away from kitsch yet retained cultural DNA through colour, motif and material.

Colour: We adopted a limited but vibrant colour palette with earthy terracotta hues and electric blues. The terracotta references the kulhad or earthen cups that the brand continues to use. The blue pays homage to the ubiquitous Chai Street carts of India and evokes memories of Original Chai Co’s initial retail format.

Motif: Everything in the design stems from the circular profile reminiscent of one sipping a hot cup of Chai with the care (and flair!) with which it is brewed taking centre stage. We carried this circular motif through plan, elevation, section and graphics, ultimately tying it back to the arched heritage fabric of the QVM buildings along Victoria Street.

Material: Harking back to the role of stainless steel as the operational and cultural backbone of the Indian chai stall business, we chose powder-coated steel for the counter top. Given the live (and frequently messy) Chai brewing station, its robust nature allows easy cleaning and low maintenance.