Situated within the Qutub Institutional Area in the swarming city of New Delhi, India, amidst a cluster of bars and lounges which cater to a distinct gentry, Avokado stands tall as a space usable by all.

The café is built in a complex where surrounding spaces pride themselves on bringing forth a tapas bar experience. On the contrary, Avokado was planned and designed to go against the grain of the context it sits in, and act as an oasis for a relaxing retreat for all, while laying a challenge to the concept of a well-functioning bar experience in the capital.

Avokado is tactfully planned around trees scattered within the complex to veritably catalyze a transcendent outdoor experience at a location in one of the most premium complexes in the city. It draws inspiration from both the Indian and Mediterranean palettes, while presenting an eclectic combination of the two varied but equally alluring tropical aesthetics. The project was conceived as an ephemeral portal, designed to transport all in attendance to the tropics. 

The larger, partially covered areas that flank the open-air seating flow along a curve to soften the visual embracement of the space, a form that almost lends a certain nonchalance to the rigid brick & mortar seating arrangement of the bars surrounding the café. The outdoor seating, adorned with its augmented version of the traditional roof, provides a bona fide relief during the Delhi summer, while the central open-air seating lends an equally sunny respite for the Delhi winter.

While the bamboo and thatch bring in the Indian Tropical roofing in a voguish backdrop with its more uncomplicated detailing, the patterned basalt flooring is quite reminiscent of the Greek streets of Mykonos. The cane lamps bring forth a refined take on Indian cane handicrafts, and the softness of the Bohemian macrame perfectly balance out as elements from two very different cultures that complement each other through the sheer commonality of being two varied languages of the tropics. 

The fountain in the central space that greets one at the entrance, acquaints one with the memorabilia of a Goan backyard. The rather clean and minimal linearity of the furniture brings in the only Nordic element that helps lend a subtlety to an otherwise prominent tropical backdrop. The furniture is yet again adorned with soft furnishing accents that reintroduce macrame in another form - with the addition of handloom jute rugs. The palette is unbiased enough to balance the materiality of the space, while at the same time allowing its warmth to shine through. The space further softens out with linen curtains providing the ease of quick privacy, if and when required by larger groups.

Avokado, in its context, behaves as a large step-out space for a quick breath of fresh air, usable by large groups or young crowds alike. The sheer openness of Avokado, visual, literal, and figurative, is an open invitation to all that pass it by, and can’t help but be soothed by the freshness and novelty of the café. It is an aura that continues to shine through its methodically intended menu and accents.

Unlike any other day café, the facet of Avokado that isolates it from being included under the generalized umbrella of what a café means to the end user is that it turns into a Bohemian bar at sun-down, and continues to service its patrons much later into the night. In a culture of bar hopping and late-night munching, Avokado is the new-age comfort spot, perfect for a quick late-night snack, or a relaxed evening, in lieu of the usual densities of a crowded weekend night.

Avokado is a brief tropical interlude, a pause in a culture of consistency and chaos, providing meaning and value to a culmination of two varied yet exquisite design languages.