Projects Restaurant and bar
Botanik
A rooftop bistro and bar above Colombo Fort for Cantaloupe & Co., one of the first concept bars in Colombo, built around a botanical theme.
- Client
- Cantaloupe & Co.
- Type
- Restaurant and bar
- Completed
- March 2017
- Area
- 4,200 sq ft
- Location
- Fairway Colombo rooftop, Colombo 01
The project
The brief
Cantaloupe & Co. asked for a warm environment with the right elements of contemporary and rustic chic, on the sixth-floor rooftop of the Fairway hotel in Colombo Fort. Botanik was designed with Cantaloupe Design, the client’s in-house team.
The challenge
The rooftop holds three very different spaces: an indoor bistro, a veranda and an open terrace. Each needed its own mood, yet guests had to be able to drift between them and settle wherever they liked.
The approach
The botanical theme runs through every space: a long mural of indigenous dried leaves and flowers by a Sri Lankan graphic designer, leaf-print cushions and planting, handmade mosaic tiles from Vietnam and furniture designed in Sri Lanka and made in Bali. A 34-foot island bar on the balcony links the veranda and the bistro with the terrace. Inside, high ceilings with exposed ducting carry a signature light grid of ambient and functional fittings.
“Botanik brings alive the concept of ‘botany’ in interesting ways – through the wallpaper, décor, and herb infusion in cocktails and cuisine. We have elevated the theme into a motif that can be glimpsed and enjoyed by customers at various spots within the premises.”