Chaiiwala Cafe, Manchester

Award-winning interior design and fit-out company, Retailmark, was behind the cool interiors of Chaiiwala Cafe in Manchester, United Kingdom. For this speciality tea and South Asian street food concept, Retailmark worked alongside the brand’s design team to deliver a striking new environment to celebrate Chaiiwala’s 31st store. A light and airy interior was introduced, offering a friendly vibe where customers could relax and enjoy a cup of the brand’s signature karak chaii, along with a bite.

The modernist interior design was partly influenced by roadside Indian shacks serving the popular South Asian tea. The inclusion of over 400 hand-fitted, white-washed, timber pieces, along with the concrete walls and greenery, all contribute to an authentic, outdoorsy appeal. The addition of over 100 filament pendant lights carefully spaced throughout the store, is a nod to the ‘star-light’ aura of late evenings.

The space is divided into several seating areas, including relaxing tub chairs at the front of the store, a large bench that can be adapted for different group sizes, and three large family booths under a 40-foot hanging ivy feature. This offers customers a variety of distinctively different places to sit in a relatively large open space.