Olive + Squash

The aim of the project was to carry out the interior fit out of Olive + Squash, a start-up health food and coffee shop located in the City of London, across from Monument tube station.

The challenge was to create a space that both accommodates our frenetic work rhythms and invites us to slow down. The architecture therefore had two tasks; to address multiple speeds of engagement, and to provide a neutral framework that foregrounds the various shapes and colours of the herbs, vegetables, fruits, and grains on its menu.

The space is asymmetrically divided in half, with a take-out counter adjacent to the street below, and a dining room in a newly constructed mezzanine above.

The space below is neutral, cool, and hard, allowing the bright colours of the raw produce to be the primary material. Above, the palette is warm, textured, and soft, inviting visitors to gather and linger over their meal.