In the awakening of the Indonesian coffee industry, coffee shops became a crowded landscape to get into. Common Grounds, with almost a decade of experience in the industry, is even steadying its existence by opening its latest coffee shop in Ashta District8, a premium retail complex located in the Jakarta business district. Common Grounds Ground Zero is a modern and cozy space for coffee, meeting, and dining that caters to the young professional market in the area. A perfect communing spot designed for a local artisanal coffee shop brand, Common Grounds.

In the space, we use furniture design as a statement, to give a character and divide the use of the area. A bespoke bench is placed by the cafe entrance, an elongated sculpture out of woven synthetic rattan that expresses the marriage between craftsmanship and contemporary design. The bench welcomes the visitor while creating a point of connection between different groups of people. We also worked around the challenge of the space, which has a significantly compressed low-ceiling, by designing low furniture pieces to accommodate visitors in a more comfortable setting.

This project is a collaboration between our studio, Shapes of Thoughts, and VIVERE Hospitality, promoting collaborative work between people in the creative industry. It combines the passion that we all share for what we do, for local craftsmanship and values, with contemporary aesthetics that give a modern appeal. We believe that only through a collaborative effort can we progress our local culture.

With such space limitation, we employ a wabi-sabi aesthetic to design the experience of Common Grounds: Ground Zero. We use what the space lacks for our gain, in the way where the short ceiling is treated with drop ceiling and lighting and turn the space into a dazzling yet intimate one with the overarching mono-color scheme.To differentiate the experience from other coffee shops and transfer the statement of their quality craft, the Ground Zero is created with modern Indonesian flair that strips many decorative elements and focuses on the material experience of the space.To achieve that, we concoct loose furniture from Indonesian brands and built-ins designed with understated looks, such as rough concrete, nude color rattan, faux leather surface, and more. Avoiding the trend of gleaming brass and polished surface to create premium feelings, the space evokes a sense of honesty and realness. This also makes Common Grounds: Ground Zero to become the place for people looking for an oasis filled with comfort and loose body language.

Shape of Thoughts was challenged to re-envision the Common Grounds brand and formulate a different kind of premium coffee shop experience from its other spaces across Indonesia. Turning the space, not only as a point for people to enjoy coffee, but also a statement of their quality and care towards coffee experience. The space taken by the brand in Ashta District8 itself was unique with a distinct challenge where the floor is elevated too high compared with its surroundings. How to craft a great experience with such an anomaly? Moreover, the coffee shop landscape is a tight one, and where do this new Common Grounds can fit in and stand out? The brand’s founders themselves believe that excellent craftsmanship in coffee can speak right through the cup to people, and they would like to see Indonesian coffee reach such quality.

Team: 
Interior Designer: Shape of Thoughts
Photographer: Sefval Mogalana

Materials used: 
Furniture Design: AlvinT