Between folds

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tease Me Cafe, located in the heart of Kottayam city infuses unconventional designs into its interiors, making it aesthetically pleasing, minimal, yet modern. The 695 sq ft space-starved cafe, conceptualised by principal architect Vinu Daniel of Wallmakers, has partitions to ensure optimum utilization of spaces. Interestingly, cloth material hung from the ceiling has been used to provide incongruous partitions between spaces, an eco-friendly alternative.

The wafer-thin, white Kora cloth tumbles down from the ceiling and serves as organic seats for the diners as well. “Kora cloth is usually treated as waste, used mostly in women’s underskirts. Reusing the discarded material to create an aesthetically appealing interior is a step towards adopting an eco-friendly strategy, away from the conventional brick and motor material,” says Vinu Daniel, who has won many laurels for his sustainable structures.

The idea to incorporate the white, beautiful textured Kora cloth as the prime design in the interiors was when Vinu Daniel was working on the interiors of an apartment. “After oxidisation, the walls needed to be covered. After a few days, my team and I went to inspect the place, only to see the thin Kora fabric we used to cover the wet surface fluttering and floating in the air due to the wind. As the fabric fell onto the furniture and other materials, it created a beautiful design with folds and patterns. This sight got stuck in my head, which was later executed to design the interiors,” says Vinu Daniel.

Though the idea seemed simple, the execution was challenging. After repeated experimentation with Kora cloth, it was finished with a layer of ferro-cement, grey oxide, and further waxed and polished to give beautiful folds and undulations to the drapes, adding to the aesthetics of the interior. The ‘clothcrete’ partitions divide the linear dining space provides a partial partition from the open central kitchen.

LIGHTING
The warm lighting complements the dramatic look of the cafe. Steel pipes suck the smoke produced from the open kitchen and act as ducts for the lighting falling between the counters. “The lighting was also installed to highlight the folded portions of the Kora cloth that falls from the ceiling,” adds Vinu. The cafe popularises the concept of ‘recycle and reuse’ even beyond the Kora clothes. Old press panel boxes and old wooden windows have been upcycled to make tables that add to the eye-candy this cafe is.

Open kitchen
“The cafe has an open kitchen and dining space. The idea was  to develop a Sushi bar layout, where the customers can  have a dialogue with the chef, and can also see their food  being made,” informs Vinu.