In Oslo’s Kvadraturen district, Snøhetta has turned a former coffee showroom into a place where making coffee becomes part of the room. Completed in 2026 for Magnat Kaffehus, Élan Coffee Bar centres the interior on a circular counter rather than a conventional bar along one wall.

That change gives the room a different social arrangement. Customers can approach the centre from several directions, while the work of the baristas remains visible. Seating occupies the quieter edges, allowing visitors to choose between watching the preparation and stepping away from the activity.

The counter combines dark-stained oak with a sculpted cork volume. Its rounded shape contrasts with the straight lines of the surrounding cabinets. The cork has been shaped in three dimensions and heat-treated, bringing out a darker colour and a strongly textured surface.

Cork continues through the custom furniture. Repeating one material across several elements makes the small interior feel connected without filling it with competing objects. Its porous surface also contributes to the acoustic character of a room where conversation, equipment and music overlap.

Above the counter, a turquoise installation acts as both a ceiling feature and a directional loudspeaker. Composer Jonas von der Fehr developed a soundscape that changes gradually as visitors move through the café. The sound becomes another way of distinguishing the busy centre from the calmer seating areas.

The turquoise colour refers both to raw coffee beans and to the oxidised copper ornament on the historic building outside. A separate room at the rear, with its own entrance, provides space for meetings and small gatherings. This gives the café another use alongside its daily service.

The project is most interesting in the way furniture, sound and circulation work together. Each supports the central act of brewing, while leaving the edges available for slower, more private visits.

Project information and images are presented by Snøhetta. Photography by Pernille Sandberg.