PLAIN VANILLA EAST COAST

COMPLETED

FUNCTION: F&B, Bakery Café

AREA: 159 m2

LOCATION: 199 East Coast Rd, 428902, SINGAPORE

The chamfered shopfront is an abstraction of the corner-type shophouses along the street, a symbolic gesture that marks entry to the cafe

We have witnessed Plain Vanilla store’s invariable contribution to the placemaking of its immediate neighbourhood - from inception to becoming integral to the lives and routines of the people living around it.

The design for the new Plain Vanilla store at East Coast Road aims to continue this legacy- to grow into a meaningful “Third Space” for the neighbourhood. To do this, we looked to the streets for inspiration.

East Coast Road, as the name suggests, used to be a thoroughfare hugging the Southeastern coast of Singapore before the coastline was shifted southwards in the late 60s within 20 years in Singapore's largest land reclamation project. This created a distinct difference in character between the old town, low-rise fabric of Katong in the North and the high-rise beachfront residential district of Marine Parade in the South.

In this sense, East Coast Road is not merely an arterial road but a string of gateways to the historically rich and culturally diverse Katong Area. The predominant line of colonial shophouses along East Coast Road is punctuated by perpendicular streets forming chamfered corner type shophouses that characterise the many entry gateways into Katong.

As an abstraction to the street is on, we chamfered the five-foot way inwards and imagined Plain Vanilla as a corner shophouse, forming a new “getaway” that is paved in the same red bricks that turn into the shop, increasing the display and waiting area for the baked goods that are on sale. This forms a threshold between the bustle of the heavy traffic on East Coast Road and the quieter private estates behind it; a condition analogous to Plain Vanilla’s position as a ‘Third Place’, an offering between work and home.

Extending the public space inwards, inviting both customers and flaneur to discover a new private enclave where people feel comfortable lingering without feeling obliged to come in - a friendly gesture that makes the café feel all the more welcoming.

As a subtle reference to Katong, terracotta and glazed mosaics, commonly found in shophouses in the area, were used alongside pebble washed floors which are reminiscent of coastal sands.

Behind the shopfront, the setting transits into a domestic seating arrangement evoking that “home away from home” feeling. This is further enhanced through the familiarity of finishes through the use of earth tones and natural materials aligned with the Plain Vanilla DNA.

Towards the rear, skylights lead the way to a rear court tucked away from the street and almost nestled within the private landed estates - an intimate, family-orientated and pet-friendly al fresco space where one can feel at home in their own backyard.