Do The Brooklyn Shuffle Designer Shabnam Gupta renovates a heritage bungalow in Pune to create an all-day American themed diner that exudes a sense of whimsy
Below:Wall murals, checkered flooring, and diner booths define the interiors of The Brooklyn Shuffle Diner in Pune. The all day American-inspired diner is spread across an area of approximately 2500 sq ft. Below right 50s-60s themed blue Rexene tucked sofas accompanied by metaltopped tables complement the ‘unfinished finished’ blue walls.
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home & design trends vol 2 no 2 2014
home & design trends vol 2 no 2 2014
When a heritage bungalow proved to be too spacious to hold a single restaurant or pub, the owners along with principal designer Shabnam Gupta of The Orange Lane came up with a simple solution. They decided to split the structure right down the middle to house two very strong yet distinctive hospitality identities. “The two brands needed to attract the same type of customers, yet not cut into each other’s revenue,” explains Gupta. “Thus, we came up with the concept of an all-day American diner called The Brooklyn Shuffle Diner while the other half of the bungalow catered to the ‘night owls’ with Jimmy Hu, an Asian themed pub.”
Located amongst the greens of Koregaon Park in Pune, The Brooklyn Shuffle Diner is spread across an area of approximately 2500 sq ft and consists of three main sections. The first is referred to as the porch, which doubles as a cafe and library. This space has an uninterrupted view overlooking the private gardens. The second is the main diner space, which also houses the bar, washrooms, and the kitchen. While the third is the mezzanine level that consists of more diner seating along with its own bar counter. As the owners wanted to keep the charm of the heritage bungalow, structural changes are kept to a minimum. Gupta translates the brief of a ‘youthful
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Left:Light fixtures suspended from the ceiling further highlight the bar at the far end of the space. Below:To counter the comparatively low ceiling on the mezzanine floor, it is designed as a curve that incorporates all the beams. The walls in this space are bare except for splash of blue and a vintage baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
home & design trends vol 2 no 2 2014
day haunt that needed to be fun and breezy’, into various design elements. Right from the entrance, the tone of the space is set with the signage constructed from a blue bicycle tower and three surfboards. “On the porch, we designed a hopscotch inlay into the flooring so customers could hop through the entrance,” says Gupta. “To craft the cafe setting for this space, a floor-to-ceiling book unit was created. It is accessorised with American memorabilia like a radio, a vintage baseball bat, and catcher’s mitt. A cut out in the wall was fashioned, as this
space overlooks the private gardens. It is further accentuated by a bicycle wheel installation.” ‘The Afro Woman’ mural sets the tone of what to expect when one walks through the entrance. The asymmetrical heritage ceiling is highlighted from the bottom to the top to give it more depth. This is done through slats made of POP and then given a wooden finish and painted over. The look is completed with Iranian inspired furniture of smaller tables and chairs, which take on a twist with studs and metal rings on the blue Rexene upholstery. “Checkered flooring, which is synonymous with
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American diners, is used here to tie the three main spaces. It is utilised as central carpeting just before the porch, while in the major diner area it frames the main booths and on the mezzanine level the community table,” says Gupta. To add volume, the ceiling in the main diner is left exposed while more windows are carved out to bring in natural light. This space is defined by a mural of a South American lady on the ‘unfinished finished’ wall. On the far end, lies the bar with the washrooms on one side and the kitchen and staircase on the other. This space has the iconic island booth seating as well as the 50s and 60s-themed blue Rexene tucked sofas. The bar is constructed out of white glazed tiles that are digitally printed with the Nirvana baby. The counter top is finished in polished marble, which is illuminated by vintage light fixtures. A panel of old cemented tiles used as a back splash banner frames the bar. A concrete wall imprinted with classical writing above the panel brings in the vintage quotient. “The staircase marks the transition from the
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ground level to the mezzanine floor,” explains Gupta. “It is thus, the only space that uses wood, aluminum corrugated sheets and cast iron rails. At the landing we created an installation from an American icon, Campbell tomato soup cans.” On the mezzanine level one is greeted by a community table at the centre and a grunge inspired wall mural. The seating and bar follow the same design concept as the ground floor while the washroom is concealed by a screen of multicoloured bottles. “We decided to further accentuate the low ceiling by creating a curve in a metallic silver antique finish, which encompassed all the beams,” says Gupta. “Since there was a lot going on we kept the rest of the walls bare apart from a spot with smeared blue paint and a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.”
These pages:One of the walls on the mezzanine level are graced with a grunge-inspired mural while the washroom doors are covered with posters of iconic movie characters, such as Jules Winnfield from Pulp Fiction.
Story by Amanda Peters Photography by Indrajit Sathe Share this story online at Trendsideas.com/go/43611
home & design trends vol 2 no 2 2014