The clients are a collective of young parents who have lived in Dubai since the 1980s, and who are proud to call this city their home. Passionate about spaces that engage, educate, and empower children, that spark creativity, trigger imagination and growth at the same time. Their mission is to create a destination for children and their parents that commences as a medium in order to be happier, more creative, more imaginative, better informed, more inspired, more aware, more balanced, and more amazed.
The task at hand required Sneha Divias Atelier to envision and create a space where children can gather and harness creativity while deriving inspiration from a sculptural tree house, in an environment that is conceptual and entices curiosity. La Petite Treehouse Cafe is a part of children’s play space Oli Oli and is designed to be an eco-friendly spot for the community of children to practice crucial life skills such as sustainability, creativity, and mindfulness of others. It is more than just a cafe, it is about the gathering of children and parents as well as promoting interaction between children. As part of the integral base structure of OliOli, Le Petite Treehouse Cafe is about small details that convey big messages – sharing, caring, learning.
La Petite Treehouse Cafe is located in Al Quoz and is part of World-class play space Olioli, in the western side of Dubai’s core. Al Quoz is hiding a treasure trove of gems just waiting to be discovered; mostly known for its vibrant area full of art galleries and performance spaces, while the residential areas are quiet, spacious, individually designed and luxurious. An ultimate hotspot for the stimulation and conservation of talent intertwined with the residential area, it caters perfectly to the objectives of La Petite Treehouse Cafe.
The Atelier had to address certain aspects associated with designing spaces for children. They aimed to focus on details- as they usually do- while selecting materials which could have a somewhat positive and empowering influence on how children can learn from leisure. Even though the number of such spaces in the city has risen, these are usually prone to excessive visual stimulation and unnatural elements. Therefore, one of the challenges was to keep it low key yet interesting for the target age group. To stimulate without overdoing it, to allow imagination to flow and to have a serene environment whilst dynamic in activities. For this, we broke the paradigms of a children space and created an area of contemplation for all ages with various backgrounds as you would have in a city like Dubai.
Through the design, La Petite Treehouse Cafe reinforces the theme of a vibrant yet educational space. Communal tables were used to subtly emphasize the importance of teamwork while the concept of a tree house, the age-old place for children’s rendezvous, was selected as the base. Moved away from the traditional cafe ambiance to something comprehensive through the use of organic materials. The space is light, fresh and makes the most of the natural daylight. The refinement in details contrasts the roughness of some finishes such as polished concrete and color is introduced in a controlled and holistic manner.
For La Petite Treehouse Cafe, the Atelier aimed to incorporate everyday items that also exuded a whimsical charm. The tables selected for the cafe were custom made with Corian tops to give an innovative twist to the essential furnishing. DPA Lighting Consultants helped integrate the use of functional yet ingenious fixtures to further accentuate the appearance of the space rather than just the decor. The polished concrete flooring from Mapei was used to add sophisticated aesthetic and would work well in contrast to the custom-made sculpture tree house that was meant to radiate youthfulness and warmth.
At the same time, the atmosphere was tailored to imitate the concept of hospitality which is homegrown in the UAE. This was accomplished through adequate furnishings by Adonis Decor and the use of graceful tiles, courtesy of RAK Ceramics. The art layer comes through the colored birds by artist Patrick Murphy.
