Whistle & Flute

by Sans-Arc

A lobby-cafe without the vibe of a lobby-café, it is housed in a 60’s low-rise workplace building. Whistle & Flute brings rhythm to an under-exploited region of the city.

From The Interior Designer

A lobby-cafe without the vibe of a lobby-café. Housed in a 60’s low-rise workplace building, Whistle & Flute brings rhythm to an under-exploited region of the city. A timber & glass shell connects to the adjacent lobby while the light green courtyard generates sanctuary in a car-oriented environment.

 

The project required a renovation of a plain lobby tenancy into something special – a ‘destination’. The site was obstacle-ridden in several ways; it is adjacent to a foyer, in a 60’s low-rise office building, on a main road with minimum foot traffic. The answer was to introduce a ‘fine-grain’ to in the form of a detailed, immersive capacity. The chief design effort was to divide the tenancy into two distinctive spaces. The interior is restrained and engages with the foyer, which is juxtaposed by the outside space; an open, airy, timber-framed garden. Whistle & Flute, cockney slang for suit, alludes to the local commercial population and originates from the owners’ reminiscence for time spent in the UK. The fit-out is a balance between a subtle English character and a contextually fitting, highly functional area that is also warm and welcoming.