Oasis Tea Zone Capitol Hill

The client came to us to design a new bubble tea cafe in an existing storefront in the Pike-Pine corridor on Capitol Hill. Our concept was to draw attention deep into the space, encouraging visitors to enter off the street.

The challenge was to work with (and within) a partial remodel left behind from an earlier tenant improvement: a partial-height wall, and a three-foot drop dividing the back of the space from the front.

To keep construction costs low, we incorporated this existing condition into the design rather than tearing it out. We replaced the partial-height wall with an open railing, and developed an eye-catching point of sale comprised of a walnut, wood slat canopy, with a blue-stained wood accent backdrop to draw visitors into the space.

The goal of the project was to not only create a successful space that sells bubble tea, but also to design a project that builds on the visual style of the neighborhood with a clean and simple material palette melding with the fresh aesthetic of Capitol Hill.

Another (truly eye-catching) point of visual interest in the space is a commissioned installation on the exposed concrete wall in the front seating area by the popular local art collective, Electric Coffin.

This 3D mural came out of the client’s inspiration of streetscapes and urban spaces, connecting the cafe to the neighborhood, and providing visitors with a strong visual graphic to associate with the space.