█ light on the sugar
winter park, fl : [2021]
Creativity, quality, and attention to detail are the fundamental principles that underpin the hand-crafted sweets at Light on the Sugar. Much like the work of painters, sculptors, and other artists, the products that bakers make can often provoke emotion and reflect their creativity. Pâtissiers use flavors, aesthetics, and textures to create edible art pieces, applying their ideas and skills to create cakes, pastries, and more from scratch. In baking as well as design, components are measured, altered, and mixed to create novel experiences.
The interior is set against a backdrop of calming neutral colors inspired by the various fundamental ingredients used in the alchemy of baking—flour, sugar, leavening, and et cetera. The space welcomes guests with its soft tones, mellow lighting, material variety, and textural complexity. The overall ambiance is a feeling of calm informed by cheeky, playful details.
Arches are used as a motif to lend an element of architecture to the space. On one side, the arches are applied decorative panels which serve to define the seating area and service counter beyond. Mirroring this on the opposing side of the room, the same geometry is subtracted from the wall to reveal a series of seating niches. This geometric correspondence between the two walls forms a spatial dialogue that unifies the interior composition.
The anchor of the store is a curved counter surfaced in Carrara marble and white oak. The counter with its sweeping form, black steel armature, and brass accents is a minimalist nod to the quaint storefronts of old-world patisseries. Complete with an espresso bar, a work area decorating pastries, and display cases, the counter presents customers with a variety of visual delights as they wait in line to place their orders.
A mural by a local artist features fluid interlocking forms collaged together on a neutral plane. GDP collaborated with the artist to create a layered abstract representation of a baker’s workbench complete with rolled dough cut-outs and pastry decoration flourishes. The furniture and decor of the space draw on the clean lines and curvilinear forms of the mural to present an attitude that is refined yet playful.
photo credit | Chad Baumer Photography