Shenandoah Joe's / 945 Preston Avenue

Project Details

Project Description

While doubling the floor space of this Charlottesville landmark, the design team wanted to ensure they weren’t changing the existing character - rather, they chose to ground the renovation in its already unique personality. The existing coffee house lacked enough production utility for the growing business, so the goal of the renovation was to transform the space into a central packaging and production facility, while maintaining full coffee service that the community expected. The main challenge overcome by the design team was the need to respect an establishment and its customers that have been a part of the community for years, while bringing a fresh aesthetic and a streamlined flow to its space. Right away, the coffee bar was re-located and re-imagined. The pour-over bar, espresso bar, drip coffee bar, and the front pastry/nitro bar are centered as individual islands under an overhang of charred wood, treated with a Japanese technique called Sho Sugi Ban. The industrial warehouse atmosphere, revealed as a result of removing the drop ceiling, is softened with the existing comfy chairs or donated ones from loyal customers on one side of the coffee bar, while the team created new bar seats and long community tables for conversation and work on the other. Visible from the seating is the packaging area, and even further back the roasting area, where customers can see exactly how their cup is made, and how Shenandoah Joe distributes its product all over Virginia. Tucked behind the front of house, Shenandoah Joe has a “cupping” room, available for groups to taste and learn about new and unique roasts. The end result is a transparent yet efficient production facility, feeding into a bar and public gathering space that successfully blends existing DIY aesthetic and thoughtful contemporary elements.