Oasis Tea Zone

the Story

This was a bubble tea shop that was opening up a new location in a different part of town. We wanted to make sure that the shop fit into the surrounding community. That meant giving it more of a modern touch, but still using bright colors that you think of when you think about “bubble tea.” The other piece of the puzzle was helping customers reach the shop’s point of sale. They had to enter from the street, walk in, and then find it located 1/2 level below the street.

We knew we had to make a statement piece for the point of sale. We took plywood with modern detailing and used a bright blue stain as a bar and backdrop. We did a slanted wood trellis to direct attention to the point of sale. To help draw folks in, we worked with some local artists to create an Instagram-able art piece that people could share with their friends. We also worked in some sustainability by using beetle kill pine for the flooring on the upper floor. I always have so much fun working on these projects because commercial folks like to push it a bit. The challenge is working with a tighter budget, but you get to come up with great cost saving ideas. For example, on this project we used Ikea butcher block tabletops. We took picture frames and painted them white for wall texture. We hung 2 stained boards on a light track so we would plug in pendant lights, which are inexpensive and come in LED. We ended up saving the client about $9,000, if he had tried to buy something similar online. I love these projects.

Collaborators

Firm: Board & Vellum
Project Lead: Ryan Adanalian, Board & Vellum
Project Support: Jeff Sandler, Board & Vellum
Interiors: Katie Mallory, Board & Vellum
Contractor: GMD Custom
Art (Rocket Man): Electric Coffin
Photographer: John G Wilbanks, Photography, Inc.