Existing clients who own and have been involved in a diverse range of hospitality businesses across Melbourne approached IF Architecture for a design response to a café opportunity in the Petronas Twin Towers, at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).

To secure the tender, the clients required a strong design concept and 3D presentation images that represented their approach to the location, which is set against a backdrop of luxury fashion stores. This successful tender draws on the business name ‘Rosetta,’ with a focus on the qualities of the rose; a symbol of love and beauty in many societies, a quietly elegant and classic motif appreciated all over the world.

Designed to function as an artisan food and speciality coffee experience, Rosetta is comprised of five differing functional areas, each being conceptually derived from the Penrose tiling system. The Penrose system, named after Roger Penrose, acclaimed mathematician and physicist, presents an abstract expression of a naturally occurring bloom, enabling each of the ‘Rosettas’ to become highly detailed, extremely tactile and reflective of its surroundings.

Of the three larger flowers, one is home to a rotating cupping table and demonstration area to be used for daily coffee cupping and tasting. Extruded glass ‘rose petals’ become the display shelves for beautiful coffee jars and associated products, whilst the perforated leather curtain can be drawn or completely opened to reveal the nature of what is happening inside. Similarly, another of the ‘Rosettas’, defined by a marble bench with upholstered leather cushions, marble petal tables and stools can also be completely revealed or enclosed, creating a ‘place to be seen’ or conduct semi-private encounters.

The largest ‘Rosetta’ is an exercise in jewel box beauty; a perforated mesh veil only reveals the rose during operating hours. Both the glass display case and the marble coffee counter are extrusions of the Penrose form, with each side serving particular daily functions as the main customer service point. Two smaller flowers have been designed to accommodate a table and chair layout during operating hours, while out of hours the roses become part of the circulation space to be appreciated by all.