Ciguë creates "velvety and mysterious" interior for 12 Matcha in New York
French studio Ciguë has outfitted a historic Manhattan store with green-toned clay, walnut millwork and a charcoal wood filtration system for the flagship store of matcha brand 12 Matcha. 12 Matcha is located at 54 Bond Street, a mixed-use 1870s cast iron building that was once a savings bank and then theatre before it was The post Ciguë creates "velvety and mysterious" interior for 12 Matcha in New York appeared first on Dezeen.
French studio Ciguë has outfitted a historic Manhattan store with green-toned clay, walnut millwork and a charcoal wood filtration system for the flagship store of matcha brand 12 Matcha.
12 Matcha is located at 54 Bond Street, a mixed-use 1870s cast iron building that was once a savings bank and then theatre before it was restored into a high-end residential condominium by CTA Architects in 2018.
Located on the first two levels of the building, 12 Matcha contains a bar and ordering space at its entrance, and additional seating and a small tasting room downstairs.
For the design, Ciguë wanted the space "to feel like matcha".
"Honestly, we wanted the space to feel like matcha – velvety, grounding, and a little bit mysterious," Cigüe project lead Camille Bénard told Dezeen.
The studio split the space into different feelings between the two floors – "bright and active" upstairs and more "introspective" downstairs.
On the top level, visitors enter onto a long bar clad in a dark green-enamelled lava stone. Matcha preparation areas line the counter, while three large glass vessels sit towards the back, filled with water.
According to the team, large pieces of Japanese activated charcoal Binchotan wood encased in the vessels naturally balance the PH and mineral content of the water, which is used to make the drinks.
"Originally crafted by Ciguë for sustainable office or communal environments, the system has been reimagined and scaled to meet 12 Matcha's operational needs, making the filtration process not only visible but integral to the store's identity," said the studio.
In the back corner, the team created a seating area using a mixture of "playful vintage pieces" and wood furniture, while desks line the large front windows.
The space has green-toned clay walls and original raw Douglas fir floorboards, which the studio kept in place to evoke the building's roots.
A new walnut wood staircase leads downstairs, which also contains a mixture of vintage and wood furniture.
Tucked into a back corner next to the staircase and enclosed in glass, a tasting room contains a similar enamelled lava stone table and is backed by stainless steel shelving.
A large, oval light fixture hangs from the ceiling and four steel bar chairs line the table.
"It's part lab, part sanctuary," said Bénard. "It's open but enclosed, visible from the lounge, so that the act of tasting or researching becomes part of the place's heartbeat."
After visits to Japan with the 12 Matcha team and the project's branding studio Base Design, Bénard notes the studio thought a lot about the light quality they experienced while abroad, which informed their choice to install each window with slated shades.
"We thought a lot about light: how it filters through shaded tea fields in Japan, and how that same softness could make people feel at ease in the middle of Manhattan," said Bénard.
Previously, Ciguë designed an e-bike store in Paris and created a contraption of glass beakers and steel tubes that emit scents for an Aesop store.
The photography is by Naho Kubota unless otherwise stated
The post Ciguë creates "velvety and mysterious" interior for 12 Matcha in New York appeared first on Dezeen.
