Aart Café by Praveen S
BSc in Interior Design
Most places are busy bulldozing the past to slap up another glass box. Aart Café by Praveen S, the winner of the Adaptive Reuse Excellence Award, refuses outright to play that game. Praveen S looked at an old, almost-forgotten heritage building and decided to step in. Choosing not to let it crumble, he spun it into a chill Dutch-style café that manages to respect history without making it feel like you’re stuck in a museum.
The theme of this innovative place is “Pause.” And it’s not just talking about taking a breather while you nurse your espresso. It’s the building, almost like it’s finally getting to exhale after decades of being ignored. You walk in, and the walls are sighing with relief—finally, someone to notice.
Design-wise, there’s a whole Dutch/Indo-Colonial vibe going on: bold colour combos, big breezy spaces, and fancy teak wood furniture that is both old-school charm and 21st-century style. It’s super inviting, the kind of spot where you can meet friends or just sit alone, probably overthinking life. Everything is intentional, but not in a try-hard way.
Aart Café isn’t all about latte art and decent WiFi. It’s turned into this cultural hotspot—a living proof that good design cares. This café could make you want to high-five the concept of heritage. By mixing the old bones of the building with sharp modern touches, Praveen’s cooked up more than a coffee shop. He made a place where memory, meaning, and now all hang out together. Every little detail nudges you to stop, look around, and maybe remember why spaces matter in the first place. That’s not just a break in your day—it’s a whole new way to press pause.
Key elements of the project: geometric shapes, modular corners, retractable stuff—so you’re not stuck with a one-size-fits-all pit stop. There’s nap pods for when you’re dying for sleep, places to fire off emails, decent bathrooms, coffee that’s not trash, even spots to meditate if you’re feeling spiritual. She got fancy with the smart air, noise-cancelling panels, and climate systems. Everything’s eco-friendly, too. There’s no space for any green guilt.
The whole “pause” theme is not screaming at you to guzzle an energy drink and speed off—it’s whispering to just breathe for a minute. MINUTES OF BREAK challenges the established norms of not just a quick pit stop, but a full wellness pit crew for your road trip brain.This is the future of travel stops.