Hello Papaya Fili City, Moscow – Russia

Hello Papaya Fili City is the fourth outlet of a coffee shop chain with Asian and European cuisine located in a business district in the west of Moscow. Authors of the project Nikolay Yarin and Ilya Plotnikov have been working with the owners of the chain since its foundation. They offered an overall concept of the tropical jungle which is expressed differently every time. In this project, the authors reflect on the jungle in terms of industrial architecture, the reference being partly dictated by the premises themselves — voluminous supporting structures, high, six-meter ceilings and geometric shapes give room for interpretations of the industrial jungle metaphor.
One of the landmark solutions of the Hello Papaya chain is the three-part zoning of the space. You can have a quick coffee at the bar table in the center of the room, while tables by the windows are for guests from nearby offices and apartments who come in for a snack, and there is a sofa and easy chairs in the back for those who want to spend more time in the cafe.
The grid sets the tone for the composition, while its constituent elements — bar and table, finished with square tiles, caged walls at the entrance and lattice metal structures — build up the volume. They also serve the idea of strict functional forms, existing on the border between the real and the yet-to-be-designed objects. The total-black toilet with neon papaya looks mysterious and continues the theme of liminal spaces.
The bar and utility room area with its massive building structure overhanging the space are united by the bright orange color and form the core of the interior, surrounded by the guest areas with subdued green walls and light furnishings.