Vicki Lee’s Café and Bakery

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Vicki Lee’s Café and Bakery

  • location:
    Belmont, MA
  • Date:
    Completed 2007
  • client:
    Vicki Lee Boyajian
  • collaborators:
    Structural Engineer: Evan Hankin, PE
    General Contractor: Rick Testa
    Photographer: Chuck Choi
  • project_team:
    Principal-In-Charge: Elizabeth Whittaker
    Project Architect: Stephen Zecher
    Design Team: Silvia Illia, Andrew Richardson, Paul Voulgaris
  • description:
    Vicki Lee's Cafe and Bakery uses product display as the primary space zoning mechanism. Linear display cases and counters wrap around the side wall of the oddly-shaped space, dividing the rear bakery from the café storefront. A polycarbonate-sheathed wall behind the display area provides privacy for bakery operations while allowing borrowed light to penetrate deep into the workspace.

    A single material unifies the design, while components are demarcated through subtle variations in finish. This unifying material is oriented strand board (OSB) – a simple and inexpensive material typically used as underlayment rather than finish material. OSB is used in several different ways to code design elements. Walls and ceilings receive a natural clear coat, floors are whitewashed, and product displays are set behind sanded polycarbonate. The three systems work together to create a layered but unified space.