Portland’s Downtown Stumptown is a third wave coffee institution. But like most things that opened in 2003, it was in need of an update.
They faced issues regarding customer flow, uneven sound, menu update-ability, under-utilized spaces, and a lot of general wear and tear. Beyond the issues, they were seeking a more modern expression of who they are as a company in 2018.
We designed a sound baffling system to balance the sound throughout the space, so you could easily hear the great selection of music as well as a conversation with your friends.
We designed the bar to be more functional for the flow of the customer line, product display, and the employees working in the space. To make the space a little less industrial, we painted the old brick wall behind the counter white, and designed a highly legible and easily update-able menu to make everyone's lives easier.
Most importantly, we didn't want this redesign to feel bleached—Stumptown has always been a little rough around the edges, so we made sure to preserve that punk ethos.
For the countertops of their expansive bar, we took high-end Carrara marble and intentionally broke it—that way we could repair it with Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold-infused lacquer. This technique highlights and showcases the blemishes of history rather than hiding or disguising them.
Tim Root's artwork found its way onto custom tile, and we designed a coffee table base as a cast-iron snake, its shape inspired by a classic modern table base.
We even transformed the bathrooms to become an experience in and of themselves—each are unique (and highly instagrammable).
There are far too many small details in the space to speak to them all here, but the result has been very well received. Like any interior design, it's best experienced, so if you live in Portland, swing by to check it out. The amount of people they can reasonably service almost doubled, and their customers have been raving about the updated space.
