Brewing in Bali, Full Circle by X+O brings Ubud’s tropical surrounds into the interior design of a local café to create a modern vibe with local storytelling and a relaxed atmosphere.
Surrounded by lush rainforest and terraced rice paddies, Ubud in Bali is a highland town that attracts tourists for its landscape, temples and cuisine. Full Circle by Expat. Roasters is a recent addition to the Ubud scene. Designed by Sydney studio X+O, the interior architecture of the brew bar is inspired by the local environment and relaxed atmosphere of Ubud, with the rice fields, Monkey Forest and casual vibe translated into the architecture and materiality.
“The client asked us to take the Expat. Roasters brand and give it a relaxed, local Ubud feel. This resulted in the sleek, minimalist, modern look infused with organic elements and local storytelling,” says Rebecca Vulic, design director of X+O, who collaborated with A+A Architecture in Jakarta for local sourcing and on-the-ground execution.
Terazzo flooring is incorporated in various zones and is re-imagined through slabs of local stone and smaller white stone on a black background, mimicking rice grains. The canopy over the central espresso bar is inspired by the monkey forest canopy. This is further accentuated by one of the key features of the space – a mural of the monkey forest hi-lighting local flora and fauna and of course coffee beans, telling the Expat. Roasters coffee story. The mural is handpainted onto a tiled wall, by artist Tazroc.
The rounded ‘full circle’ logo, with its hugging hands also inspires the architecture and furniture. The ceiling features rounded white arches, and much of the furniture is rounded, including stools and chairs to banquette seats- all hugging customers as they experience the space. Adjacent to the central espresso bar, are private concrete booths. They play on the Expat. Roasters brand through the precision and angular structure of the seating. The use of concrete accentuates this with a teak lining, sourced locally.
