LIGHT + TECH 83
FACETS CAFÉ, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND DESIGN AND LIGHTING: BB WORKSPACE
In the grounds of a gemstone retail outlet in San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, Facets is a café that has been both renovated and extended. The design is inspired by gemstones and literally reflects the ‘brilliance of light’.
‘The design translates the forms, colours and reflective qualities of gemstones into built form, while subtly integrating local cultural identity,’ says BB Workspace interior design director and co-founder Jarasphong Cheuapool. The existing building has been transformed into a crystal-like mass using two sizes of clear glass blocks arranged in alternating patterns. The interior is designed to echo an unrefined or unpolished gemstone. Certain wall elements are shaped to resemble stone caves, with textured surfaces evoking natural geological strata. The overall palette is white with reflective materials, symbolising the purity of crystalline forms. A medley of materials is used, from rippled aluminium to glass and acrylic, offering a range of reflectances for the light to play on. The serving counter is sharply faceted and clad in mirrored aluminium, producing a luminous floor reflection. Acrylic panels are suspended from the ceiling, swaying with the air and
catching the light at shifting angles. Furniture pieces resemble raw stone forms, wrapped in glossy laminates and coloured acrylics that reference specific hues of gemstones, lending the space vibrancy while maintaining transparency and airiness.
The palette of white, silver and translucency allows the interior to softly glow at night, and is designed to evoke the radiance of a gemstone within a display case.
The new extension was inspired by the faceted geometry of a diamond, featuring a steel structural frame clad in acrylic panels coated with dichroic film. These iridescent panels shimmer and their colours subtly shift according to the sun’s angle and time of day, ‘turning the building envelope into a living jewel that glows and dances with light’.
The garden is simple and serene, leafy green plants acting as a softening foil to the building’s geometry. Locally crafted materials are used, including handmade clay bricks to create the gently curved walls. A free-form pond offers a further opportunity for play of light, weaving between the outdoor seating areas, reflecting and animating the architecture.
bbworkspace.co
PHOTOS: RUNGKIT CHAROENWAT
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