Radha’s Cafe

Radha’s café conceptualized as a dream of our client as a pit stop café transformed into a proper coffee shop of its rarest kind as a landmark. Located on MG road of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, it was an old bungalow entrance porch. It had those typical Tamil Nadu elements like a high ceiling with an exposed madras terrace roof. Large sculpted columns, a “Thinai” in front of a large door that lead to the then home. This door was an original dated back 100 of years that made it so unique. Being a proud Chennai- ite we definitely wanted to grab this opportunity to re-use all of these elements and give it a young and fresh, yet traditional touch.

The services have been carefully tucked inside the floor or behind walls as initially the site had multiple levels which was restored and levelled for the functionality and Vastu Science purposes. The entry ceiling was completely falling apart which was then refurbished in the manner to retain its originality but give it a modern touch using panels that were coordinated with the rafters. This also added an intricate detail to the ceiling which marks as the highlight of the outlet.

Location:  Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
Client:  Mrs. & Mr. Ramakrishna
Site area: 400 SQFT
Design Team:  Ekta Agarwal, Ar. Parul Agarwal VK & Firdosh Basha
Year of Completion:  August 2023

The columns have been repainted in bright and stark color combination which allows maximum visibility from the road. The flooring was inspired by the traditional Athangudi tiles and replaced with Kota stone and inlay of small porcelain motif tiles. The walls where just re-painted and we added a few elements of Athangudi pattern again to create some drama that will get captured in the minds of the customer. These patterns were curated specially for this outlet and was executed by our in house artist, who travelled to Tiruvanamallai just for this.

The idea was always to have fast moving food items with a bare minimum kitchen set up. As a pit stop, people always buy quick eatables that are usually pre-made and stored for the customers. The tea and coffee is made in the premises, while all other items are prepared in advance. This made it easy for us to have a small working kitchen with a mixture of counters, display stands and standing warmers that is easy to maintain and clutter free in this compact coffee shop.

To create a landmark is the dream of every architect. Radha’s café started off as an experiment and turned out to be a well- known, well executed and a complete out of the box example for this city. Every individual that passes by this café has the urge to have at least a cup of tea and some “Suda-Suda” eatables.