Project Details
This project was selected as a Honor winner in ARCHITECT's 2024 Architecture & Interiors Awards, Interiors: Retail and Showroom category.
“What I remember about this one is the involvement of the local architecture school in the design and fabrication of this, which I really appreciated—engaging the community. It was a strong submission.” –Juror Brooke Horan
In exploring how space can enhance the crafting and consumption of chocolate, Arch&Type looked to an image presented by the client of molten crystallized chocolate for inspiration rather than drawing on cliched dark cocoa–toned walls and jewelry-display casework often seen in other specialty chocolate and truffle shops. The resulting boutique, Blue Table Chocolates in Buffalo, New York, is thus a lighter and more textural setting with a whimsical sculptural ceiling that beckons and welcomes in curious passersby.
The client’s original presentation, showing flow and a rich golden hue created by light refracting on the crystallizations, is evoked in the undulating “river” of chocolate above, a parametric design composed of 30 golden timber tiles. To stay within budget, these units were actually modeled, fabricated, and finished in collaboration with Arch&Type principal Seth Amman’s peers and students at nearby University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning.
Complementing this centerpiece, the rest of the boutique’s palette includes matte white-oak casework and a slatted-wood feature wall, lime-wash white paint for the other vertical surfaces, and large-aggregate concrete flooring. Amman’s father Mark and firm designer, Adam McCullough, crafted the custom oak millwork themselves in local workshops. Brass accents and toe kicks along the walls and casework, brass pendant sockets, and mirror display dishes round out the mix. And at the rear of the retail portion, the river continues beyond a giant window drawing the eye farther to offer sneak peeks beyond the looking glass into the workshop.
PROJECT CREDITS:
Project: Blue Table Chocolates
Location: 799 Seneca St Suite D-1, Buffalo, NY 14210
Client/Owner: Ben Johnson
Architect: Seth Amman, AIA, Adam McCullough
Construction Start Date: May 2022
Construction End Date: November 2022
Interior Designer: Arch&Type
Mechanical Engineer: J.F. Consulting Engineers
Electrical Engineer: J.F. Consulting Engineers
Construction Manager: Larkin Development - Michael Myers
General Contractor: Pike Construction Services
Lighting Designer: Arch&Type
Other Consultants:
Millwork Fabrication: McCullough Design and Mark Amman
Parametric 3D Modeling: Mariella Hirschoff
Parametric Programming: Dan Vrana and Wade Georgi (University at Buffalo)
Parametric Tile Fabrication (University at Buffalo Students): Mariella Hirschoff, Naiara Mares, Raul Nieto, Tavian Swick, Fazal Khan, Jonathan Reyes, John Archilla
Parametric Tile Fabrication Location: University at Buffalo, School of Architecture SMART Lab
Metal Fabrication: Buffalo Niagara Weldworks
Size in Square Feet: 780
Cost: Withheld
MATERIALS AND SOURCES:
Acoustical System: The Wood Veneer Hub - Luxury American Oak | Gray Felt | Acoustic Slat Wood Wall Panels | Original Slatpanel
Cabinets: McCullough Design and Mark Amman
Ceilings: Custom-designed gold ceiling. Detailed and built by Arch&Type team using; 6” CNC-milled EPS foam, two layers of hand-applied spackling compound, Intumescent paint (fire proofing), and a finish coat of GPW Golden Paintworks Metallic Paint - Gold.
Concrete: See Floors Below
Countertops: White Oak & Carrara Marble
Flooring: Polished tinted concrete with white marble inclusions
Furniture: Arch&Type Designed, built by Adam McCullough & Mark Amman
Lighting: Tala Lighting Oval Pendant Light - Brass, Nora Lighting M2 LED Canless Recessed Fixture 2" Square Baffle Trim
Metal: Polished Stainless Steel, Buffalo Niagara Weldworks
Paints and Finishes: Vasari Lime Paint (Walls) & GPW Golden Paintworks Metallic Paint - Gold (Golden Ceiling)
Wallcoverings: The Wood Veneer Hub - Luxury American Oak | Gray Felt | Acoustic Slat Wood Wall Panels | Original Slatpanel
