Independent coffee roaster Kiss the Hippo, known for their sustainable approach to coffee, have recently opened a second café in the bustling heart of London’s Fitzrovia. Having previously unveiled their flagship café and on-site Soil Association-certified organic coffee roastery in Richmond in 2018, the brand has become known for their delicious, carefully curated coffee and celebration of craftsmanship and minimalist design when it comes to their interiors.
Designed by award-winning hospitality agency DesignLSM who were intent on capturing the ethos of the Kiss The Hippo brand, the architects have breathed craftsmanship and carefully curated minimalism throughout the coffee house’s interiors. With an aim to curate beautiful spaces that guests will enjoy – whilst sipping coffee – Kiss the Hippo Fitzrovia brings forth a timeless material palette for their new venue, including beech joinery, stainless steel and concrete. At the heart of space lies a bespoke beech counter, carefully adorned with a curated display of delicious and enticing delicacies. Decked out with contemporary Scandinavian-style furniture, including modern furniture pieces from Karimoku and bespoke mounted wall lights from Cedar and Moss, DesignLSM has crafted an extremely serene space for Kiss the Hippo Fitzrovia, allowing customers to enjoy some time out from their busy nine to five.
Large windows allow light to flood the space, while a carefully selected sound system – designed especially in beech wood to blend beautifully with the interior – creates a cool, intimate coffee spot to relax in. Guests can immerse themselves in Kiss the Hippo’s coffee-making expertise with their custom-built drip coffee station which sits impressively at the front of the counter alongside the brand’s custom-made Kees Van Der Westen espresso machine. On the lower ground of the café guests are invited to take their pick from a bespoke book shelf which is littered with donated books to purchase (proceeds go to the National Literacy Trust).
An inspiring Japanese design thread runs throughout the Fitzrovia interior too (as it does with the original Richmond site). Crafted joinery work alludes to the minimalist approach of Japanese design while, at the Richmond’s on-site roastery, clean glass walls allow for customers to indulge and watch the roasting process in action. Celebrated for its efficiency and sustainability credentials (which includes saving 80% on fuel and greenhouse gas production during the roasting process), Kiss the Hippo’s favoured roaster: the Loring S15 Falcon is quite the machine. Glittering on the roastery’s concrete floor lie bespoke gold cracks which mimic the Japanese art of kintsugi (which is the painting over of imperfections in gold to symbolise the beauty of recovery), which is something the brand reflects on in its mission by supporting people and the environment via every one of their curated spaces.
Click here for further information and to discover more about Kiss the Hippo.
Discover more about Kiss the Hippo’s locations here and more projects by DesignLSM here.
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