sci-fi elements + holographic colors decorate this cosmic café in indonesia

all images courtesy of conteur interior and avere design
the ‘extraterrestrial’ effect in the café is expressed through the play of materials that becomes an instant instagram spot for customers

conteur interior and avere design designed the space with semi-futuristic and playful vibes, reflected through color blocking, neon light, wall paneling, and accent holographic stickers as the main design elements. they placed the neon lights at the entrance area to strengthen the impression of the extra-terrestrial effect and give a playful and welcoming vibe to the space from the refraction and reflection in colors of light. the narrative continues with this place serving as an alien’s base on earth is being disguised as a halfway house, decorated with plants collected by aliens during their time on earth which are placed on a pedestal to highlight the collection.

the amphitheater seating becomes the focal point of ET tea bar

the branding worked hand in hand with the design, and the concept was reinforced by presenting pop-culture elements and making several design characters such as alien, space cat, and astronaut. the designers believe that a good design needs to address their client’s concerns and essentially provide a good solution. so they took the COVID-19 pandemic as another key consideration and opted for local materials and craftsmen to ease the transportation restrictions.

overall view of ET tea car café with high volume setting

further adjustments were made in the layout configuration to adhere to the social distancing requirements imposed in this pandemic condition. the designers considered user’s flexibility by introducing various seating arrangements from loose seating, amphitheater seating, counter seating, and coworking style seating so customers have the flexibilities to choose the type that suits them the most.

the exposed brick contrasted with the white rendered ceiling and skylight creates a light-filled space

while this futuristic concept calls for a non-conventional construction technique and unique material strategy, to achieve this desired effect the designers put tremendous effort into the sourcing of furniture. designed with sustainability in mind, skylights are introduced to bring in natural lighting and reduce reliance on artificial lighting, which helps to save on operational costs. locally sourced boulders are used to create the raised floor. the partitions from indoor to outdoor could be opened, which allows the fresh air exchange between inside and outside area. this reduces reliance on air conditioning and tapping on the naturally cool temperature of malang city. all materials are selected with less porosity in mind, easy to be maintained and wiped down so that a clean environment can be achieved.

view of the bar from townhall seating

coworking seating style mixed with dining seating arrangement

close-up view towards coworking seating

night ambiance with a play of light and sticker gives a dramatic cosmic effect

the extra-terrestrial vibe can be felt right from the entrance to the interior through the projection of blue neon light & furniture color

the futuristic effect through the use of stainless steel wall panel coupled with indirect lighting, and custom holographic circles gives a playful impression 

a simple wall lamp made using a combination of multiplex and holographic stickers creates a beautiful accent on the ET tea bar design

the blend of colors in the nebula inspired drinks combined with the use of holographic sticker gives the desired cosmic effect

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: yasmina karam | designboom