Client
KIN+ILK
Design
Angela Gidden Studio
Location
Capital Quarter, City Centre, Cardiff
Project Value
£90,000
Year
2015
KIN+ILK CQ1
Challenging the style and experience of the generic coffee shop – KIN+ILK is a uniquely designed independent family of coffee shops and café bars where the design and build of collaborative creative spaces is as important as serving up the best coffee and eating experience. KIN+ILK Capital Quarter 1 in Cardiff’s city centre was the first of 3 stores to be created of which ASR Projects completed the entire fit-out programme. The designer Angela Gidden, had very specific design criteria – Hero the rawness of the space and complement it with a rhythmical wrap of plywood and eco materials throughout creating a space that celebrates good materials and makers – from floor to walls, chairs to tables, from food to fork.
Small budget, big impact
Working with a new start-up brand and business, ASR Projects was highly committed to both the cause and the cuppa. We ensured that our clients had plenty of re-assuring hand holding throughout the project fit-out. The budget and time scale had particular challenges but working closely with the designer and the client we accommodated and adapted to make the design work without compromising the quality, functionality and aesthetics throughout the interior spaces – realising the concept in its entirety was paramount to our clients brand, business launch, and strategy for expansion.
Angela Gidden MBE | Consultant Creative Director – Interior & Branding |This was the first commercial interior design project I’d worked on with ASR Projects. My design concept for the space, although raw and a nod to Scandinavian simplicity, was a complex design to translate into a reality.
From the outset David and his team at ASR Projects picked up on my exacting design standards with real understanding and empathy giving me the confidence in their ability to interpret my design vision and ‘craft’ the spaces with real sensitivity and attention to quality. The execution of the design details reflected consistently the honesty in my design and importantly remained true to the KIN+ILK brand i.d I had also created.
The detail – Style and substance
The designer, Angela Gidden had a very defined concept where the attention to detail across every surface above and below it reflected the ‘less is more approach’ celebrating natural rawness of materials and her environmental. Our job was to translate these values into a reality. The concept was paired back, honest but bold and confident. As contractors we had nowhere to hide, the detail had to be well and demonstrate both style and substance.
