We wanted to make a space that brings back that childhood excitement of going to choose your favorite sweets. We thought nostalgically of the places that evoke the cliché of literally being 'a kid in a candy shop'. We found the rather thrilling concession stalls in the old cinema theaters of Bombay. These pre-cinema spaces, had a design energy celebratory of the fantastical journey that film brought to the city in the 1950’s.
Repurposing an old Byculla warehouse for the Mithai factory, brought together a lovely combination of an industrial setting, for a factory of the delicious. The motif’s of Bombay deco style of the theaters built the 1940’s were an apt inspiration for the world we wanted to bring to the factory.
The entrance to the factory is thought of similarly to the way deco theaters use their facades to communicate the experience within, to the passerby’s of a city. Today many restaurants look at concealing the contents of their spaces, we wanted to reach out to the street and the city.
Front and center is ‘The Mithai bar’, reminiscent of the concession stalls at the old theaters of Bombay. Classic cast iron columns frame the soft curved glass encasements, filled with Mithai. The floor mithai (confectionery) box display is an assembly of timber shape blocks, each a tribute to the Bombay theaters that inspired us (Eros, Metro, liberty, Edward).
A 20’ long Mithai (confectionery) shaping and finishing counter is an open interactive place for chefs and customers to engage. The ‘Chikki bar’ is where you can customise your own chikki (brittle) with the ingredients displayed in an old school timber and glass case. You can also have a seat at the Chikki bar that is finished in deco motif’s hand cast in pistachio and rose hued terrazzo. These open plan counters make the mithai (confection) making to be an enriching social experience. Viewing windows let you peek into the swirling ingredients in the kadhai’s (pots) in the Hot kitchen, sweetly called the ‘Hot mess’.
The mithai packages are stacked along the fluted timber shelves that line the factory. A special gifting station is housed in an arch right next to the mithai bar. An old art deco cupboard was repurposed for the ‘Rani baug’ mithai edition, a tribute to the location of the BSS factory.
The materials for the project are handcrafted and authentic. Using the crafts of the Bombay Deco era; glass art, cast in situ terrazzo, ceramic, metal relief work and timber details. The flooring is hand poured mosaic tiles, custom detailed with Katli flowers and honey bees. A hand painted mural features the mithai friendly monkeys of a Rani Baug and our favorite besan laddoo Halwai.True to the secrets of any Bombay warehouse, a discreet passage leads from the mithai factory to another little hidden theater.
Team:
Architects: Studio LAB
Photographer: PHXINDIA
