Seoul-based creative collective Studio Fragment drew inspiration from the informality, fun and irreverence of skate culture in the design of Dorrell’s new Seoul outpost

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The Nutty Cloud, a coffee drink with peanut cream layered over cold milk and capped with a shot of espresso, is just one of Dorrell’s signature drinks that draws crowds to the coffee chain, first established on Jeju Island in 2017 and now with several outlets in Seoul. The brand’s dedication to the craft of coffee is reflected in the original, tactile and emotive spatial experiences it offers customers.

Seoul-based creative collective Studio Fragment has designed this latest one in a shopping mall in Seoul, a context that isn’t without its challenges when it comes to defining a brand’s identity in a space where brands jostle for shoppers’ attention, unlike coffee shops located on the street. The designers thus asked, ‘If the shop can’t go to the street, could the street be brough inside?’ This was the main driver, leading Fragment’s principal Donghan Seo to observe the brand’s vibrant, youthful culture and infuse it into an interior inspired by skate parks. Concrete is the key material and features as robust walls, smooth flooring and seats that curve upwards evoking outdoor furniture, as do stone moats and sculptures whose rough-hewn edges contrasts with the shiny shopping mall interior.

‘Dorrell is in the middle of a large shopping mall where people’s lines of movement intersect. That’s why we arranged the coffee station’s layout like an island,’ Seo explains. ‘We accepted the flow of human traffic around it as it is, rather than trying to control or alter it, and made the boundaries flexible so that the shopper’s gaze is naturally directed to the shop.’ The lack of formal barriers makes the cafe casual and welcoming, and the ambience naturally spills out to the surrounding walkways. A variety of seating types accommodate different customer groups and ways of enjoying coffee: the seats nearer the counter are more formal, while those at the edge are lower, like park benches, for even passers-by to rest their feet and perhaps be tempted by a fragrant cup of Joe.

The dexterous material treatment also includes custom-designed furniture like solid oak benches and seats with curved tops that emulate the forms of skateboard, offsetting the ashy, industrial backdrop. There are also small stainless-steel tables for the solo coffee drinker, while others can sit on benches made of jade- and white-coloured resin grating or taller tables with profiled edges. Like the premium coffees served here, the design shows that more can be achieved with less.

Text / Luo Jingmei
Images / Mo Studio