EPIC

Wheter you live in Delhi or not, wheter you’re a working individual or a student or even a person who loves the café culture or… just interested good food that tantalises tastebuds, you must have heard of Delhi’s best hangout area up North, in GTB Nagar. That’s right we’re talking about Hudson Lane! Lined up with themed cafes by the dozen
and delicious food which doesn’t burn a hole through your pocket, this space never fails to pleasently surprise in terms making your day by both food and an overall relaxed ambience. There’s a number of cafes here, each unique in its own right, but they are, at the end of the day, cafés. What if you were looking for something that’s more.. mature and elegant.. yet something that revitalises the senses, breaks the monotony in a subtle, artistic manner. Chromed Studio has heard your plea, together with Gaurav and Varun Bansal (EDIT: brothers?) have conceptualised an idea where you can have the fun bubbly exeperience of a café while being able to retire to a space of more refined tastes, almost with a club-like ambience without having to get into your car and travelling to another location. Now, you must be inquisitive to know the name of place which offers you the best of both worlds. It’s Epic. Yes, owing to the fantastic idea, the place is also called, “EPIC”. The Epic bar and kitchen, Fullstop café. Just as its name suggests, it is the Full-stop to your search for a place with something more than the usual.. an x-factor.

With a gross area of about 4000 sq ft spread across 4 floors, Chromed Studio brings to you the duo of Fullstop café and Epic Bar + Kitchen. Having been completed recently, in the month of February 2018, this is a one of a kind project which caters to the varying needs of its customers by providing a spatial “mood switch”. While entering, the visitor first walks into the vibrant Fullstop café. Making a well-deserved comeback from the 1980s is the Memphis design movement. Space comes alive with Loud colors and Zany patterns used in amalgamation with bright neon lights guiding the way through. The unique lighting complimenting the spatial design also manifests itself in the form of various signs and installations giving the place a memorable hallmark. The Decor seems to talk for itself owing to the manner in which it has been designed. High in graphic design content, space engages the onlooker into a visual dialogue. Some of the other highlights in this area include a suspended community table which aids interactions amongst the people present, a statement acrylic chandelier which draws the viewers attention to minute design details and long vertical vision panels for natural light during the day. Different types of floorings have been planned to demarcate the transition between moods in the same space which makes up for quite the experience. Elements peculiar to the Memphis style have been inculcated for an original flavor, such as Laminates and Terrazo on tabletops and on floor finishes, wide gateways in Sesame Street Colors and Squiggle prints, walls adorned in wacky geometric mirrored prints and simple stippling artworks adorning black walls. A cleverly designed air conditioning layout is characteristic of this place as well, as it runs parallel overhead to the aisle while cooling the area equitably overall avoiding any hotpockets.

There are many vertical circulation points throughout the space, the canary yellow helical staircase, situated near the two-way elevator or farther in, the wider staircase with classy black decor. Leading the way into the Epic Bar and Kitchen, a more private, secluded place meant for zealous visitors in want of a different experience. There is a visible transformation in the quality of space once the visitor climbs the final flight of stairs. The bright neons and acrylic colors transform into graceful emerald greens and tasteful Eames chairs covered in velvet to compliment the interiors. There is an almost central cutout overhead for an added feeling comfort with a double height space. Dotted with artistic indoor plants needing low maintenance, visitors feel a low key rejuvenation in their minds. Black color panels lined with green textures of visually exquisite patterns. Some characteristic statement designs of this space include a see-through bar back complemented by a brass monolithic bar. There is an iconic dark green paneled wall where there are mounted typewriters over which there is a light up crossword coded with words that entice the mind, come visit and see how many you can spot? This is not all, the best parts of the designs involve Brass sphere installation around the DJ console surrounded by the screen and thought to induce glitched graphics! Flooring has been another challenge overcome with Kadappa flooring inlined with brass strips. The elevator leads us to the final stop o our journey, The Terrace. Planned to make full use of the sometimes serendipitous weather in Delhi, particularly monsoon and clear summer nights, the design sports a partial indoor space complimented with lush outdoors. Who doesn’t love an outdoor bar with a beautiful view? The Terrace has
a designed truss structure with glass fitted in the voids at the top and walls, so that one can experience the color drama of Delhi’s skies without encountering the dusty gushes of the air. The botanical patterns make the place pop out in a subtle manner without giving a “in-your-face” feeling, the small flower pots suspended in tripod-like pot holders exude a homey yet luxurious essence giving a laid-back vibe to the entire setup. At night, the terrace structure lights up to reveal itself more vividly, enticing people’s curiosity. The wall decor here plays well with the wall mounted lights, and patterned panels casting shadows imparting a bright yet characteristically modern outlook. One can even look down through the cutout to see the vibrant cafe, feeling almost like a sweet little secret from this level. The bar here still remains a highlight in its own right with simple wooden outline cuboidal structures with glass faces and a back mirror to aptly display the fine collection of liquor. The whole spot is quite the experience in itself inexclusive of cafe-culture merging into a delicious kitchen and bar extravaganza.