Casa Masa: An Open Layout Connects The Many Elements Of This Colombian Restaurant

Casa Masa restaurant geometric window

Architecture firm Studio Cadena, with outposts in Brooklyn, New York and Bogotá, Colombia, personalized a 7,500-square-foot design so that each part feels different yet connected.

The Masa footprint features large triangular windows, varying ceiling heights, a large concrete bar, custom terrazzo tile floor and an outdoor patio with garden seating.

casa masa restaurant triangle window

“The idea is that everything is connected, but the spaces remain fragmented for intimacy,” suggests studio founder Benjamin Cadena.

You’ll know you’re near the bakery by the scent of freshly baked baguettes. The café sends up the rich aroma of espresso and cappuccino, the restaurant offers everything from frittata to toasty grilled sandwiches and the retail edit includes granola and signature chocolates.

“This project’s indoor-outdoor continuity is intentional. We wanted to be sure the space remained open to itself and to the street, and was inviting,” he adds.

casa masa restaurant interior

A playfulness continues in the surfaces, fixtures and furniture, all designed by Studio Cadena, the winners of the 2018 Flatiron Public Plaza Design Competition. Large paper globes light the corner café; in another space, handpainted metal mesh suspended from the ceiling catches the natural light.

It’s all part of a loose, cross-referential design, and a restaurant that requires minimal branding.

“The strategy from a design standpoint was that the building does the work,” notes Cadena.

Photography by Naho Kubota.

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