By Udita Chaturvedi
Photography: Courtesy Minnie Bhatt Design
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Time: 2 mins
Nestled
in a residential area of Juhu, Mumbai, is a cafe with a tagline ‘Cooking up
stories’ that tries to bring alive the aura of fables and the joy of reading...
With
bright and whitewashed interiors, cafe Fables projects an airy environment
around a theme of books and stories that has been brought to life by interior
designer Minnie Bhatt.
Complete
with English fences with mounted flower pots; teakwood Windsor chairs with
floral print cushions; chinaware on the walls and vintage lamps dangling from
the ceiling, the interiors and exteriors of the cafe seem to play on narrative
visual imagery.
The
outside wall is made up of windows of different sizes and styles on one side
and a wire mesh fork under the name ‘Fables’ on the other. Between the two, is
a little wooden door and a birdhouse (filled with books), besides a row of
green pots welcoming guests into a joyful and serene ambience. Inside,
floor-to-ceiling glass and drapes divide the alfresco section from the indoor
seating arrangement. Adding to this, is the little wishing well at the
entrance, which takes one back to the days of bedtime stories.
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In
sync with the theme, design elements include pages of old, yellowing books,
adorning the length of one wall, while an illustration of a tricycle with
reindeer horns as handlebars takes one into a world of fairytales. In one
corner, stands a tall lamp made of a pile of paperback books, in another stands
a rotary dial phone mounted atop a leather-bound book.
Enhancing
the feel of the English culture and vintage look are lamp clusters beaming warm
yellow light; eclectic mix of benches and chairs in pastel colours; cupboards and
bookshelves, counters and tables in merandi wood.
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Lending
a dramatic effect to the whole space are the geometric patterns on the floor in
shades of green and white; balancing the otherwise neutral shell and furniture,
creating a surreal feel.
The
entire ambience, in fact, is surreal; subtle yet distinct… A storybook like
aura that takes one into the world of fiction and flurry and all things wonderful!
Lovely place. Would love to visit it sometime soon!
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