Blue Bottle has opened yet another café, this time at West Bund, inside the Gate M building of the Dream Center redevelopment. It's designed by Atelier Tao+C, who've given it a clean, sculptural look that nods to the area's industrial past without overdoing the nostalgia.
Inside, tilted timber columns and whitewashed wood panels frame views of the Huangpu and hide the guts of the building—pipes, wires, that sort of thing. Warm Douglas fir plays against polished concrete floors. Most of the furniture was prefabbed off-site to cut down on waste. Outside, chunky concrete benches face the old cement factory, now rebranded as heritage.
Another Blue Bottle, yes, but at least it's an attractive one.
The photography is by Wen Studio.
