Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Partnership of Gabriel Castro; photos by Gabriel Castro.
2013 _ Nanak Emporium
In the words of the owners, the Emporium Nanak was born out of a desire to support a lifestyle seated on the tripod: happiness, health and holiness. The name’s inspiration comes from Guru Nanak Dev, a reference among worshipers of Sikhism. The emporium offers a variety of products for home and organic, vegan and gluten-free food, around a small chai-cafe space. The pattern used in the drilling of the panels was extracted from Nanak Emporium’s logo, which is in turn referenced in the iconography present at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a shrine of Sikhism, the emporium’s owners’ religion.
The project adopts a strategy that combines exposure and concealment of the products. A fixed grid, oblique in relation to the two sidewalls, allows a full view of the products to customers entering the Emporium. Conversely, this view is concealed to those that are leaving. This feature guarantees a certain tranquility and silence, making the space more enjoyable for those who want to have a tea at the center table, without losing the typical plural ambience of the emporiums.
