The flagship retail destination of its namesake coffee roaster, the La Mill Coffee Boutique is a concept cafe and restaurant in the eclectic Los Angeles enclave of Silver Lake.
Unifying multiple storefronts in an existing commercial building, the La Mill Coffee Boutique employs a newly glazed elevation to amplify its street presence and captivate passers-by on this intimate and well-walked commercial stretch of Silver Lake Blvd.
The boutique's floorplan demonstrates a cross section of programmatically distinct dining activities visible from the street: bar, table seating, private dining. Outdoors, seating lines the sidewalk and tucks-up onto a slender covered patio. On busier days, the interior and exterior activities of patrons produce an active, theatrical depth of field extending through the glass facade.
The interior environment is an orchestrated visual collision between crisp minimalist geometries and the decorative flourishes of interior design collaborators, Rubbish Interiors. Ornate fields of baroque textures are juxtaposed against smooth isotropic surfaces. In combination, these divergent design proclivities assimilate into an attractive, unexpected dissonance that resonates with the eclectic energy of the surrounding neighborhood.
2008 AIA Restaurant Design Award
Status: Built
Location: Los Angeles, CA, US
Additional Credits: In collaboration with Rubbish Interiors
Photography: Alen Lin