Alchemy Coffee

Alchemy Coffee is a café situated along the ground floor of a historic, pre-war Rittenhouse Square apartment building. Completed in late 2021, the space is just under 1,000 SF and serves as a peaceful refuge along a bustling section of 21st Street just off of the Walnut Street commercial corridor in the heart of Center City, Philadelphia.

A collaboration with a talented, passionate client resulted in an interior reflecting the artisanal nature of the shop’s high-quality products and the mixed Japanese and West African heritage of its owner. Inspired by the third-wave coffeeshops of Tokyo – in both philosophy and approach – the attention to detail typically directed towards espresso was focused on creating a shop that rivals some of the best coffee bars in the world.

Alchemy welcomes its customers with a soft, uncluttered palette using bleached wood and the warmth of reflective, burnished plaster to bounce light through the space. A minimalist, ash barista counter and custom, curved acrylic pastry case floats in the space, mirroring a communal seating bar and retail display on the opposite end of the shop. Brass kickplates give these two volumes the illusion of hovering over the neutral porcelain floors.

Softly curved walls are a key design element of the space, bringing daylight further into the space and provide a feeling of lightness and airiness, minimizing the use of artificial lighting during the day. The altered shape of the room softens the perspective of the narrow, low space.

The design of the café maximizes seating and circulation for customers while also allowing for flexible use of the space for evening events, concerts, and for additional retail uses. A communal table at the center allows for queuing on either side of the space, both for ordering and for order pickup.

The owner wanted the feel of the space to embody aspects of his heritage and culture, which is illustrated by the space's minimalist palette, rich materiality, and high level of craft throughout.

The owner matched his commitment to his craft with a matching commitment to the design team for the pursuit of extremely long-lasting materials, equipment, and millwork including custom fabricated cabinetry, quartz countertops, porcelain flooring, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and all LED lighting to maximize both the design and performance of the space.

The design and construction team collaborated deeply with the owner throughout the project to create a space that functions seamlessly for this black-owned coffee and wellness business. The end result of this collaboration is a space that reflects the functional needs of an extremely high-quality coffee operation, the client’s aesthetic input, and the constraints of the existing space.

 Today, Alchemy stands as one of Philly’s most popular local coffeeshops and its custom-designed ash café tables are rarely vacant.