Credited as the pioneering coffee kings of Cambodia, Brown Coffee & Bakery has exemplified how designers bring culture into architecture. In this exclusive feature, we highlight how the homegrown coffee brand draws inspiration from Khmer culture and brews it into their coffeehouse design, at five of our favourite stores.
The new year brings us a renewed sense of hope to embark on audacious journeys. As a design-driven organisation, Team Raintree wants to take this opportunity to catalyse conversations amongst the next generation of Khmer creatives about what it means to design projects that are authentically ‘Cambodian’. We look no further than our resident café for inspiration, Brown Coffee, who have developed their signature blueprint of interior design over the last 10+ years.
Ceiling installation @ Brown Coffee - K Mall. Photo courtesy of Brown Coffee & Bakery.
Co-founded by a group of cousins with only ten staff at its first store, Brown has grown to establish itself as an industry leader in the country, having over 700 staff and 20+ stores across greater Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. While each store has a distinct look and feel, Brown has incorporated diverse local references and ensured that each project is brimming with ‘Brown magic’. So what’s the secret? They make it a priority to work with Khmer architects, artists, and designers in hopes that lesser documented historical references are re-lived through the spaces they create.
Exclusively for this feature, Team Raintree sat down with the architects to get an inside scoop on how Brown brings Khmer heritage to life in five of our favourite stores. From ceiling installations referencing local fishing culture, to cave-inspired rattan interiors, to curvaceous roof architecture inspired by Khmer greeting, there’s a lot to discover. Check out the rundown of designs and their inspirations below.
Brown Coffee - Airport
There are few places where we greet and bid goodbye to each other as often as we do at airports. And no greeting is as recognisably Cambodian as the way people gesture with our palms together sampeah (សំពះ). Marrying these two notions, the lead architect of Brown Airport took their interpretation of Khmer culture to new heights (literally) when designing the roof of the café to resemble the way we ‘sampeah’. As construction materials in the country are still somewhat limited, the architects worked by sourcing key materials available then creatively reimagining their application. A core steel structure gives the cover its unique form, with the roof ‘curve’ created by layering zinc sheets horizontally. The construction took three months to complete and is now brewin all day long, welcoming both homesick locals, and wanderlust tourists.
Inspiration: Sampeah (សំពះ)
Highlight: Curved roof form with zinc sheeting
Location: Opposite Phnom Penh International Airport, Russian Blvd.
Brown Coffee - K Mall
Colloquially referred to as Brown ‘Cave’ for its grand ceiling installation that mimics the form of stalactites, the store is located in Veng Sreng, one amongst the fewer districts in Phnom Penh that are still rife with factories. As caves have historically been used as hideouts in times of need, the architects took that as their main inspiration for the store’s interior design. The Hang Sơn Doòng cave in Vietnam was selected as the stimulus for design as one of the largest natural caves in the world, in appreciation the region’s natural abundance. The design team painstakingly worked with Khmer contractors to hand weave 1,000+ rattan strips into small sheets before installing them in layers on the ceiling of the café, bringing the cave to life.
Inspiration: Hang Son Doòng Cave
Highlights: Ceiling installation made with 1,000+ rattan strips.
Location: K Mall, Veng Sreng Blvd.
Brown Coffee - TK (Roastery)
The store takes a more holistic approach to instilling Khmer culture - from architecture to furniture detailing. Celebrating the Kingdom’s rich history in silk production, the architects of Brown Roastery TK features a wooden loom centrepiece. “One of the most respectful ways to honour a design piece is to find ways for it to remain useful instead of having it as a decorative prop,” said Sophal Thim, one of the lead architects behind the project. The loom is repurposed as a table, inviting all to have a seat while enjoying their coffee. Taking it to the roof, the form speaks to a Khmer roofing design called dombol rong (ដំបូលរោង) from traditional wooden houses. Much like gable roof, it’s characterised by two slopes crossing paths to form a ridge at the top.
Inspiration: Traditional Khmer wooden homes.
Highlights: Dombol rong (ដំបូលរោង) and repurposed wooden loom communal table.
Location: St. 315, Khan Toul Kork (opposite Zando TK).
Brown Coffee - Park Mall
Bassac River (or Four-Faced River) marks the convergence point of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers, two of the most productive rivers for fishing in the world. As an ode to the over six million fishermen in Cambodia that contribute to the country’s economy, Brown honours the unsung heroes in this backbreaking industry with large installation comprising fishing equipment. The architect repurposed fishing nets supported by black-painted bamboo on the ceiling. Brewing stations are also playfully adapted to look like fishing boats.
Inspiration: Cambodian fishing culture.
Highlights: Fishing ceiling installation and boat-shaped brewing stations.
Location: The Park Community Mall, National Road 1.
Brown Coffee - Pasteur
Brown grows alongside the Cambodian art culture it champions, and the coffee culture it sows. The roastery store on Pasteur commemorates milestones on both fronts. Visitors are greeted by a large format painting by Khmer contemporary artist Ranon Phal, whose artistic aspiration is to translate life experiences into art. Exhibited behind the coffee counter, the watercolour canvas is a map of Phnom Penh, with St. 51 highlighted in vibrant colours to amplify the area’s exhilarated energy. Look up for its grandest design feature - a ceiling installation of latté art, borne from Brown’s pride in pouring the perfect cup of coffee every single time. Made with cut copper sheet cut by local craftsmen, the installation takes its form from the classic ‘tulip’ technique of presenting milk foam.
Inspiration: The art of coffee making and Cambodian coffee culture.
Highlights: Latté art ceiling installation and artwork by Ranon Phal.
Location: St. 51, Pasteur.
As Raintree houses the design studio behind the Brown cafés, we’ve had a front row seat to the ideation and innovation of their interiors throughout the last decade. Team Raintree believes what the HKA & Partners and Brown teams have created is a benchmark for how Cambodian design could evolve, and hopes the conversations they spark will encourage other designers to celebrate local culture, craftsmanship and arts in their work.
These are just five out of 20+ Browns to explore, so we hope you visit our favourites to experience their interiors for yourself. We hope this feature was as inspiring for you to dive into as it was for us to research. If you learnt something new, share it with your friends on social media so we can continue the conversation of how architecture can be a vehicle for cultural development.
Follow us on social media @raintreecambodia for more features like this, or drop us a message if you have ideas on what you’d like to see next on our blog!