New Roots at Nylon
Singapore’s Nylon Coffee Roasters pays homage to its public housing context in a redesign by OPEN STUDIO that reflects its growth from a hole-in-the-wall coffee roaster to a beloved institution
When Dennis Tang and Lee Jia Min opened Nylon Coffee Roasters in 2012, their primary business was roasting coffee beans and selling coffee. But as the space became more and more popular, the quaint interior became a problem — there was congestion both behind and in front of the bar, which worsened with customers squeezing to the rear retail shelf, and it was also noisy when crowded.
Having spent time working as a barista at the Everton Park coffee shop before establishing his design firm, Lam Jun Nan, co-founder of OPEN STUDIO, witnessed this first-hand. He was therefore well-positioned to redesign the space, replacing the original DIY aesthetic and reflecting Nylon’s updated branding. Tang and Lee also wanted more indoor seating to cater to the expanded demographic, which now included the elderly and parents with young children.
The new centralised front entrance diverts customers to the left for ordering or right for seating, and protruding retail shelves brings more attention to the products. The materiality and forms draw on the store’s location and context. ‘The concept was for the shop to be read as part of the neighbourhood, because of the community vibe that’s been fostered,’ Lam says.
Terracotta tiles wrap the counter and retail shelves and segue into a floating seat, referencing the terracotta parapets outside, which customers would perch on when the shop became packed inside. Cork wall panels help absorb sound while adding warmth and texture, while stainless steel details in the counter and menu board add a modern touch. Benches along the shop’s perimeter surround a three-metre-long communal table, which is designed to be what Lam calls ‘an extended heartland zone’.
The furniture’s defining sea-green legs echo the vintage shop gate’s colour. Their robust U-shape is an inversion of the urban furniture such as benches and bicycles found in the Everton Park public housing estate that the shop is located within. ‘A pleasant surprise was how the table and benches appear to float,’ Lam says, highlighting the challenge of discreetly bolting the bases to the ground to maintain the legibility of the U-shape.
The furniture’s fluid lines continue into the space, where gently curving wall and cove light edges mirror the block’s domed architecture and surrounding urban furniture. They also serve to soften the imposing columns outside the shop. Thoughtfully designed flip-down metal ledges on a wall facilitate intimate gatherings without blocking the path when bulky items like sacks of coffee beans or roasting equipment are brought into the store.
The original part-terrazzo and part-cement flooring of the two combined shop units is reborn as a cement floor embedded with fragments of the preserved terrazzo. ‘We strongly felt that the two shop units needed to be read as an entity,’ says Lam. A glass wall visually connects customers with the roasting room, and is another nod to the shop’s humble origins.
Text / Luo Jingmei
Images / Khoo Guo Jie
