105 Cafe is the latest coffee shop design project by Jinshi Design in Shanghai. It’s a small street-side cafe that is bold, playful, and colorful. The design concept is based on the brand’s name, which is a quirky and playful take on the number 105. The cafe is designed with a vibrant red and purple color scheme and features a series of colorful balls hanging from the ceiling.
105 Cafe is Jinshi Design’s latest coffee shop project in Shanghai, following the success of VSmooth Cafe. After months of preparation, the design team finally unveiled this vibrant space, a testament to their creative vision. The cafe’s unique design is a direct reflection of its playful and bold brand identity. Located in the bustling streets of Shanghai, 105 Cafe stands out with its playful and vibrant design, like a playful character taking center stage in the city’s bustling atmosphere.
Upon approaching the cafe, two contrasting red spheres, seemingly reaching towards the sky and the earth, instantly capture attention. These spheres serve as a bold introduction to the cafe, setting the stage for a dynamic and exciting experience. The entrance features two mirrored archways, one above the other, with a striking purple metallic base. This design creates a visually striking and intriguing entrance, immediately drawing visitors in. The red spheres are strategically placed at the end of the arches, creating a visual interplay of contrasting colors and shapes. The vibrant red and mysterious purple are masterfully combined by Jinshi Design to form a dramatic and captivating space, standing out from the surrounding older buildings and enticing curious onlookers.
For Jinshi Design, 105 Cafe is a space that embodies the essence of unwavering passion. This passion isn’t just a facade, but rather an authentic reflection of the cafe’s owner’s straightforward and energetic personality. If this passion could be represented by a color, it would undoubtedly be red.
The cafe’s interior is divided into two levels, taking advantage of the existing building’s structure. Entering from the ground floor, visitors are greeted by a white wall that gradually transitions to a deep red towards the back of the space. This color gradient, from pure white to the deepest red, mimics the gradual absorption of sunlight, preventing the red from overwhelming or appearing overly intense. The red theme extends to the ceiling, where interlocking, mirrored metallic red discs break up the monotony and claustrophobia of the original ceiling. The reflective surface captures the movement of the customers, the lighting, and the barista working behind the counter, adding a dynamic element to the space. Jinshi Design expertly combines these red elements to create a vibrant and joyful atmosphere, one that is full of life but never cold or uninviting. As those who have seen the film ‘Kamome Diner’ know, brewing a delicious cup of coffee requires a special incantation. The relaxed ambiance and genuine laughter at 105 Cafe are perhaps the magic spell that sets this cafe apart.
At the back of the bar, a series of red gradient metallic spheres hang from the ceiling, cascading down from the second floor. The handrail of the stairs forms a box-like structure, and the spheres are arranged in layers, totaling ten in number, creating a unique visual experience. The spheres transition in color from pale white to deep maroon, adding another dimension to the color scheme.
As visitors ascend the stairs, their journey is guided around this distinctive box structure. The suspended spheres create an invisible gravitational field that connects the two levels. The colors transition from maroon to white as visitors ascend, and from white to maroon as they descend. During a post-construction visit to the cafe, I noticed that the darker spheres appear to descend from the box when viewed from the ground floor, while the lighter spheres appear to rise from the box when viewed from the second floor. This visual effect inspired the name “BOX OF JOY.”
Project Information:
Project Name: 105 Cafe
Project Type: Restaurant, Cafe, Small Cafe, Street-side Cafe
Project Location: 209 Jinxian Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Design Firm: Jinshi Design
Project Area: 40 square meters
Materials: Colored mirror stainless steel, gradient wall paint, red epoxy floor paint, silver stainless steel
Photography: Arteeezzzy
Client: 105 Cafe
