© space+craft / Photography: Thanapol Jongsiripipat

Originally a small café selling fruit drinks and food not so long ago, a rebranded RISE is now taking the Thai capital by storm with signature coffee concoctions. Similar to major cities around the planet, coffee culture is booming here and RISE banks on the momentum with a growing number of design-led cafés for the city’s more discerning coffee aficionados. The company’s newest outpost has recently opened its doors at Mahatun Plaza, a concrete and glass structure – mind you, it was Thailand‘s tallest structure when it opened in 1985 – in the bustling business area of Ploenchit. The café occupies a 150 sqm. (1,615 sq.ft.) unit on the ground floor at the back of the building and features an interior design by local architecture and design practice space+craft. This third café ups the ante as it comes with an adjacent RISE Lab or coffee roasting facility, and last but not least, a much bolder brand identity.

The chosen aesthetic is clean, understated, and all-white except for a few accents in red, featuring a sleek service station crafted predominantly from steel angle bars. Flooring of large granite tiles is paired with walls covered in large white panels and an exposed ceiling overlaid with a metal grid which incorporates light spots and LED light strips that give it an optical boost. Seating comprises tables for two and communal tables, in addition to slatted white and red benches lining RISE Lab‘s floor-to-ceiling glass partition which allows the fanbase to visually engage with roasting activities. Up front, in a corner right behind the window, an installation of shelves with a jagged backside mimicking the material used for the service counter, presents various coffee products for sale. The menu at RISE lists various coffee blends, but also hybrid drinks, such as the Orange Wafer Latte, comprising of coffee, orange juice and a  topping of lemon crumble cake. Needless to say, various pastries and cookies are featured as well.

RISE
Mahatun Plaza, 888 Thanon Ploenchit, Shop 1 (Ploenchit)
Bangkok 10330
Telephone: +66 83 5353003
Daily 8am-5pm

© space+craft / Photography: Thanapol Jongsiripipat