Bradley Edwards Architect recently completed a tenant finish out in downtown Bentonville AR. Onyx Coffee Lab is a 2,300 square foot coffee bar located in the Midtown Building on the Bentonville Arkansas Downtown square. The project has two primary elements which dictate spatial organization, movement, and use.
The project is organized by an emphatic longitudinal wood screen which simultaneously thirds the space, houses a community meeting room, accents the island bar, and integrates the merchandise wall. The screen is composed of several softwood species in 2x and 1x thicknesses and of varied depth from 1x4's to 2x12's. Gaps occur in the ceiling and wall to regulate lighting, airflow, fire suppression and merchandise.
The island bar is a monolithic tiled figure contrasting the filigreed wood ceiling above. The bar is organized by three grinding towers which allow a porous and fluid workflow between baristas. The grinding towers are also organized based on the type of coffee brewed and this sets in motion the entire structure of the bar. There is an intentional gap between bar and ceiling to accentuate the material rich back wall of hickory, exposed concrete and concrete tile.
