San Francisco-based Studio BANAA has completed Voyager Craft Coffee’s newest location in Downtown San José: Voyager St. John. Occupying the former Scott’s Seafood space, this compact café layers bold color, custom millwork, and graphic murals into what the designers describe as “a condensed maximalist environment.”
Referencing both 1980s Italian Memphis Design and the surreal energy of Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Studio BANAA approached the 1,000-square-foot space as a full-volume composition - treating walls, floors, ceilings, and fixtures as a single, interconnected canvas.
The design approach started with unfolding the linear space into a longitudinal section, a canvas for the imagination to go wild. Inspired by Mattisse’s paintings, this flattened section of the space showcases an intentional collage of textures, collars, and circular/curvy motifs, signifying Voyager’s colorful, inclusive, and playful brand.
At the center of the design is a sculptural coffee bar clad in pink perforated metal, topped with speckled recyclable and recycled countertop, wrapped with integrated shelving. Its cylindrical, skirted massing organizes both customer flow and back-of-house operations while acting as a visual focal point.
BANAA also designed two large custom murals, spanning entire walls, both abstractly reference topographic maps - though, according to the designers, “maps of places that don’t exist” - rendered in saturated blues, greens, and corals. The design is originally derived from maps of Brazil and Ethiopia, where Voyager primarily sourced their coffee beans.
Additional details incorporated into the “collage” are as follows:
● Custom scalloped-edge pendant lights paired with a continuous, serpentine LED strip inset into the ceiling. The scallop forms show up at the edge of countertops and benches.
● Repetitive “half circle” motifs in a variety of colors and textures.
● Layered seating elements: ochre-upholstered benches, wavy wall trims, powder-coated steel tables, and window ledges in irregular shapes.
● Strategic use of perforated metal, glossy lacquers, and vibrant powder coats to create depth and texture within a tight footprint.
“This is a small space with a big presence,” says Studio BANAA co-founder Nastaran Mousavi. “The brief was really about extending Voyager’s brand into something unmistakably bold. Rather than doing minimal white tile or industrial finishes, we leaned into layered color and form while still keeping it precise.”
Materials are carefully selected to minimize VOC emissions, creating a more health-conscious environment for the public. The countertop uses 50% recycled plastic and recyclable materials.
Voyager St. John is Studio BANAA’s sixth Voyager Craft Coffee location. Across all six, Studio BANAA has helped define a consistent, globally minded visual language while tailoring each site to its specific context.
