Cafe Project

Our first major design project was to redesign the cafe/canteen at Plymouth College of Art. As there were current plans to redo the space in the coming year we had full insight into the logistics and realities of a project such as this.

Our main focus for this project was the customer and service user - questioning how were people going to move around the space and how could we create zones for different purposes. This was also when we were first introduced to the concept of 'commercial' interior spaces, focusing on usability and durability of materials and products.

We spent time in groups measuring out the whole cafe so that we could then hand draw the space with scale rulers and design new potential layouts.

We were allowed a lot of freedom with the concept design for the space which meant we could put our own style and taste on our chosen scheme. The brief also stated that we had to include a scale model of our final design, which took a lot of time, patience and creativity.

This was the first time we were being taught about many of the elements that were needed for a full interiors scheme.

I created and presented:

Scale Model of the Cafe

Concept Board

Materials Board

Multiple 'General Arrangement' Layouts - Floor Plans

Final GA

Lighting Layout

FF&E and Builds Schedule

Sketched Visual

Possible high-end/low-end furniture

Styling Mood-board

Customer Journey

Research Journal Documenting Process

PCA Cafe - Concept Board - Inspired by 'Ultra Violet' and Copper current trends

I learnt so much from this project, it was really 'full on' but a great way to introduce us to many of the key elements that are crucial to creating an interiors scheme, along with technicalities we need to incorporate and consider. I really liked my finish scheme and it was exciting to see the possibilities of what it might look like by creating a scale model.