Das Café by Chelsy Hansen

Das Cafe is a small German cafe located in the heart of Spring City, a small artist town in Central Utah. This cafe attracts people from all over the country who are seeking authentic German food. Das Cafe resides in a building that was built over 100 years ago and has been home to several restaurants and candy stores over the years.
Designer: Chelsy Hansen
Location: Spring City, UT
Status: Concept

The history and age of this building lended a few key design elements to the space, such as the original wood floors and copper ceiling tiles. I kept these elements, making them a focal point of the space by adding a drop soffit on either side of the space to draw your attention to the ceiling and lead you through the long, narrow cafe.
The back of the cafe features a new cash wrap that separates the open kitchen from the dining area. This cash wrap is made from reclaimed barnwood that was sourced in Spring City. Each piece of art is also sourced locally; artist can often be found on the side of the road painting the picturesque landscapes. The art is meant to be the main source of color in this cafe, as a result I have chosen to keep the color pallet neutral and light to compliment the dark color found in the floor and ceiling.

In addition to being able to re-design Das Cafe I was also able to rebrand and update their menu. Clean lines and the combination of text styles printed in black and white build on the history of the building and the new modern elements of the space. This small details helps bring a level of sophistication to the newly remodeled cafe.

When addressing the layout of the space I chose to keep it similar to the existing plan, however, I was able to rearrange the kitchen making it larger and giving it a more functional layout. Throughout the design of this space I kept the history and artistic culture in mind, making this popular cafe a true extension of the town. The added design elements, such as the drop soffit, clean lines, and neutral color pallet update the space, making it a modern yet rustic gathering place.

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Chelsy Hansen
Chelsy Hansen graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelors of Interior Design in May of 2018. It was during her senior year at Utah State that her love for design transitioned from
residential to commercial design. She also realized just how deep her love for architecture ran. Her passion for architecture and design stem from wanting to solve problems by creating user friendly and well designed spaces. She is currently working at JRCA Architects in Salt Lake City as an interior architect and designer.