Aera, Berlin – Germany

For the second Berlin branch of Aera – a gluten-free bread and coffee producer located on Rosenthaler Platz – a space has been designed that takes full advantage of its prominent location, being impossible to overlook. The full depth of the new shop is made visible through a large shop window, allowing its rich Lapis lazuli blue interior to take centre stage.A diagonal counter, running from the entrance to the end of the shop, divides the space into two functional areas and guides the visitor along the length of the shop from the entrance to the entrance and then to the receipt of the order. Uniform in texture and colour, this long concrete counter visually blends with the floor and wall surfaces, becoming an organic part of the room due to its proportions and dimensions.The monotonous concrete has been applied in an intense Lapis lazuli blue colour so that the room as a whole becomes a spatial sculpture, inseparable from its bold colour. The furniture is solid oak, while the shelving for baked goods is electro-polished stainless steel. The incoming natural light alters the intensity of the blue and the surfaces from shiny to matte depending on the time of day, the weather and the position of the observer. Sometimes lighter than dark and at others quite bright and intense.