Studio Illumine designed the lighting atmosphere for Black Star Pastry, a space-themed cafe in downtown Shanghai. The interiors evoke the feeling of being in space through the use of a monochromatic palette, reflective materials and bespoke lighting.
The ground floor serves as a pastry cafe. The design immerses the visitors in the sensation of being in a spaceship- The walls of the cafe are lined with stainless steel shelving holding thousands of meteorites extending to the ceiling. Lighting the meteorite shelves was the biggest challenge of this project. Adequate lighting is required to highlight the minerals, yet precisely calibrated to ensure that the space is not over-illuminated due to the density of reflective shelving. Each shelf is edge-lit within a sliding system to allow for rear maintenance access of LEDS.
Leading up to the first floor is Black Star Gallery, an exhibition-style dining space. A lighting atmosphere is designed to establish a museum-like mood. Spotlight fixtures are prudently adjusted to bring out the best of respective art pieces by emerging artists – Olivia Steele, Naoko Ito, Rowan Corkill and Debbie Lawson. Care is taken that the intensity of spotlights do not steal the limelight from artist Steele’s artworks, which incorporates blue neon light.
The dark interiors with low ceilings create a stark contrast with daylight during the day. To reduce this contrast, the ceiling soffit is up-lit to create a brighter environment, bridging a natural transition between daylight and artificial light. This improves the perception of height, visually enhancing the spatial proportions.
As the interior designers explore with gravity vs weightlessness in this project, the lighting designers extend the language with the play of shadow and light.
Location of the Project: Shanghai
Completion Date: December 2021
Design Team: Azlan Nazam, Shiny Kuang
Interior Design: Linehouse
Art Curation : Louis Li
Commissioned Artists: Olivia Steele, Naoko Ito, Rowan Corkill, Debbie Lawson
Photography: Jonathan Leijonhufvud