When “Design” fusions a Cafe with a Furniture Shop – (Bangkok)

4 Comments

February 25, 2016

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I am in a taxi of Bangkok on the way to Bang Sue, a road famous for woodcraft. I hope we are on the right way.  We have just been dropped by an other taxi at a wrong place. At 1 hour far away from our destination! The taxi pretended we was arrived, in fact he was lost. We was lost…

Travel TIP: Show the taxi driver the address written in the local alphabet.
We asked the hotel receptionist to translate it for us in Thai. (Unfortunately that tip didn’t worked with our first driver. Ahah)

drill-old-school-the-design-sketchbook a bang sue woodcraft soi pracha rat 24-visit atelier.jpg

Visiting woodcraft atelier at Bang Sue, Bangkok

After going down the taxi,
We went to the closest cafe to ask for direction. It was the cafe Cyclology where we met the owner who helped us calling a taxi and gave the correct direction to the next taxi driver. 45minutes later and 145 baht later, we reached the place!

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Finally arrived at Pracha Rat Soi 24

drill-old-school-the-design-sketchbook a bang sue woodcraft soi pracha rat 24 dragon door a.png

Handicraft from the carpenters of Bang Sue, Bangkok

I’ll tell you more about what I learned from the woodcraft road in the next article. Before, let me share with you a bit on How Cyclology attracted my attention.

Cyclology is a cafe but mainly a cycle shop for demanding riders. The shop was so clean. To go in, we had to remove our shoes. Pretty unusual for a shop no ?

The way they care about the shop is to me an indicator of how they care about the product they sell and the services they give to your bikes.

In Thailand,
It seams pretty common to fusion shop & cafe. I didn’t took picture from Cyclology. Let me share with you this concept from an other shop I saw yesterday at Thong Lor area, famous for beautiful cafes.

 

Lighting cafe Bangkok drink.JPG

When a cafe fusions with a shop.

The cafe brings people in your shop and give exposure to your products.
You can sell any kind of products. Here was about indoor and outdoor lighting for decoration- mainly with an industrial look. The shop sells the products to local customers, tourist or even professionals who can enjoy a cafe under beautiful lightings.

The product are not displayed in a row like any traditional and boring shop you find in a supermarket or specialized shop, but are nicely presented like a gallery of props!

cafe-thong-lor-lighting-the-design-sketchbook.jpg

Buy anything you see in the cafe!

What’s the link with Industrial design ?
Ok the client may come just for a coffee and a piece of cake, nothing more. But if he came to that shop we can admit he likes the ambiance and decoration from the products. He might not buy today, but maybe tomorrow or just talking about the cafe to his friends.

If your service and food are good, the customer will associate a positive experience with the products. Science shows that human act by emotion, not much from tangible reason. This is how creating such customer experience will activate the emotional memory and hopefully buy  your products and use them happily! 🙂

TIP: A designer is not about creating functions or make things beautiful. It’s about creating life experience.

Lighting cafe Bangkok.JPG

“Everything” you see is for sell.

Tomorrow I will share with you what I learned about wood from my meetings with the carpenters of Bang Sue.

somkid koprasertsri Laan Income furniture.png

Asking information about Laser cutting and edging on wood.

If you want more of articles where I share with you my personal and daily thoughts and observation. Let me know by email or leave me a message in the comments!

See you!
Cheers from Bangkok,
Chou-Tac

About The Author

Chou-Tac

Hello! I am a Product Designer from France. If the sketching methods I’ve acquired aid me in my life and in my industrial design career, I believe that they can also help you reach your design goal as a student or professional. My aim is to help you all along with your design projects and journey! Leave a comment in the blog or send me an email at choutac@thedesignsketchbook.com : ) Chou-Tac

4 Comments

  • Sajawal Iqbal

    Reply Reply March 11, 2016

    Hi Choutac i am a student of furniture design need your help in design thinking and ideas generating concept from where i start thinking and which specific exercise i apply to think great and how tell me designing rules

    • Chou-Tac

      Reply Reply March 11, 2016

      Hello Sajawal,

      Inspiration basically can come from anywhere. You may have a look at this article: https://www.thedesignsketchbook.com/11-tips-to-get-inspired-and-draw-from-imagination-tip-143/

      In furniture design, you have to master well perspective. Always start with simplify volumes, and go into details after. Train at drawings cubes, cylinders… in perspective is a good start.

      In parallel, whenever you have an idea, doodle it ! Take note of your idea even though you may not yet comfortable at drawing. Keep your notes. The day you have more skills you can practice drawing them better. 🙂

      Hope it helps.

      Cheers,
      Chou-Tac

  • Constantin

    Reply Reply February 26, 2016

    Really great! Its like a hybrid space on a different scale. I think in the future we will see more fusions between coffees, shops, offices, workshops, exhibitions, and the list can go on! Lifestyle! Your website is really amazing! Thank you for everything you write here!

    • Chou-Tac

      Reply Reply February 26, 2016

      Hello Constantin, I agree we can decline in so many ways!

      In Singapore, it’s common to see students doing their homework at Starbuck but also Mc Donald. The direction even add a note on the wall that students can’t come study during peak hours…

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