44 DIGS.NET
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11.1.2019
P R O F I L E | D O N F R A N C I S C O ' S
W R I T T E N B Y J E N N T H O R N T O N
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
EMI
KITAWAKI
Exquisite Taste
"It's great time to be a designer in Downtown L. A.," says Norella Carboni
Amiel, director of design for Omgivning, a practice that is on the march in
architecture and interiors, prolifically so in Downtown Los Angeles, where its
has a host of new projects on the boards, and one for the books—Don Francisco's
Coffee Casa Cubana.
Don Francisco's buzzy brick and mortar—the company's first—was a real
wakeup call for both the visually driven consumer and the 1924 Broadway-Spring
Arcade Building the café calls home. ough the building wasn't without its
architectural charms (imposing glass ceiling, Spanish Baroque arches), it clearly
needed new life. Enter Omgivning's exquisite, award-winning café for the Don
Francisco's coffee brand, established in the 1950s by the Gaviña family, who
migrated from Spain to Cuba in the 1870s, then left for Los Angeles following
the Cuban Revolution. Omgivning privileged the warmth and richness of this
Omgivning's award-winning design of a brick-and-mortar expresses
the cultural, character-rich origin story of a classic brand.
heritage to conceive a design with precisely these qualities while introducing new imagery and
tones. e design is best described as a tropical blend. Decorative elements include lush terracotta
hues, Caribbean-style plants, and a custom wall covering drawn from vintage stamps of native
Cuban birds. A fleur de lis around the space's arches comes from the family's crest, and tile
patterning is inspired by Don Francisco's logo. ese complement personal touches, including
reproductions of vintage family photos and family donations like a collection of historic artifacts
for roasting and grinding coffee.
Today Don Francisco's café is a destination in constant dialogue with its immediate and evolving
environment. "e Arcade Building's past matches that of Downtown Los Angeles in general,
and its neighborhood, the Historic Core, in particular," says Carboni Amiel in reference to this
developing conversation. "If awards are any indication of success, I think it speaks broadly to the
fact that we got the balance of history and modernity just right." dfcasacubana.com
OMGIVNING'S LUSH DESIGN FOR DON FRANCISCO'S
COFFEE CASA CUBANA BLENDS ELEMENTS
OF WARMTH AND RICHNESS TO REFLECT THE
BACKGROUND OF ITS FOUNDING FAMILY.
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