Jade Apartments BOFF Coffee / Matrix Design

Architects: Matrix Design
Area: 280 sqm
Year: 2024
Photography: Shixiang Wanhe
Furnishing: Matrix Design
Materials: Leather, Antique-Finish Ceramic Tiles, Textured Paint, Burl Wood Veneer, Engineered Wood Flooring
Client: Shenzhen Runtie Real Estate Consulting Co., Ltd.
City: Guangming District, Shenzhen
Country: China

BOFF Coffee in Shenzhen’s Guangming District presents a carefully orchestrated balance between commercial pragmatism and community-oriented design. Conceived by Matrix Design, the project occupies four merged storefronts at the base of Runyao Mansion, transforming the site into a multifunctional social hub. Beyond its immediate role as a transitional sales venue for the residential development, the café has been envisioned as a lasting neighborhood anchor, drawing residents into a shared public realm. An expressive new aluminum façade redefines the corner lot with eave-like forms, a street-facing bar, and extended canopy seating, inviting urban interaction. Inside, landscaping is brought into the spatial framework, blurring distinctions between exterior and interior while softening structural constraints with thoughtful material use. A restrained palette of textured surfaces, veneer finishes, and natural stone accents reinforces an atmosphere of simplicity and warmth. With its adaptable layout and integrated community focus, BOFF Coffee demonstrates how commercial spaces can exceed transactional functions and become embedded in the fabric of daily life.

Jade apartments boff coffee / matrix design

Matrix Design’s reconfiguration of BOFF Coffee illustrates how a modestly scaled commercial space can transcend its immediate function to act as a connective element within the city. Located at the corner of Kelin Road and Qiaokai Road, the site’s four former storefronts were combined into a single unit and unified with a new architectural identity. This transformation was not limited to an interior fit-out but extended outward, redefining the building’s relationship with the street and the community.

The aluminum façade is central to this approach. Shaped to recall the protective reach of traditional eaves, it provides shelter while simultaneously projecting a sense of openness. The addition of a continuous canopy reinforces the street corner as a recognizable landmark, while operable glazing introduces permeability, making the café an inviting threshold between public and private realms. The inclusion of a bar counter directly facing the street further strengthens this relationship, giving the space a dual orientation that acknowledges both its internal audience and the passing city.

Within the interior, the spatial strategy favors fluidity and integration over strict compartmentalization. Instead of solid partitions, planters and landscaping elements define zones while preserving visual continuity. Planting of varied heights creates a layered transparency that contributes to an atmosphere of informality and ease. The use of green ceramic tiles behind the central bar provides a deliberate chromatic link to the exterior environment, bridging interior finishes with natural surroundings.

Material selection plays a crucial role in reinforcing the identity of the café. The palette combines textured paint in muted tones, engineered wood flooring, and burl veneer to establish a foundation of warmth and tactility. Antique-finish ceramic tiles and black gravel introduce subtle irregularities, offering a counterbalance to the more refined surfaces. Leather cushions in the seating zones are paired with timber accents, ensuring both comfort and durability. These details collectively foster a sense of authenticity, avoiding superficiality in favor of honest textures and enduring finishes.

Structural challenges were addressed with equal attention. The retained load-bearing walls, initially perceived as obstacles within the spatial sequence, were visually lightened through the use of gray mirrored surfaces. This subtle intervention allowed the walls to blend into their surroundings, reducing their weight on the perception of space while enhancing depth and reflection.

Above, the ceiling adopts a semi-open strategy that exposes the rhythm of timber beams. These elements serve both as architectural articulation and as a practical framework for an adaptable lighting system. Track fixtures and removable luminaires allow the space to shift between the everyday operations of a café and the more fluid demands of community gatherings, exhibitions, or events. This adaptability ensures that the project remains relevant beyond its initial role as a sales venue, positioning it as a long-term cultural and social anchor.

The project’s most enduring contribution lies in its ability to merge commercial utility with civic presence. While designed to serve the development’s transitional needs, it also demonstrates foresight in its capacity to sustain value as a communal hub. In this sense, BOFF Coffee is both pragmatic and aspirational: a space that acknowledges its economic function while simultaneously cultivating a civic identity that resonates with residents. Through a careful orchestration of architectural gestures, material character, and spatial generosity, Matrix Design has produced a project that exemplifies how small-scale interventions can have lasting urban significance.