OVERVIEW
Monin, a family-owned French brand established in 1912, has long been a pioneer in crafting premium syrups and innovative solutions for the global hospitality industry.
RESTORE POV
For their Mumbai experience studio we brought together the brand’s French roots with Indian heritage craft and design elements including art, textiles and materials. The site – a quaint bungalow on a shady lane off the Juhu coastline was the perfect setting to create an earthy, rustic chic space with a coastal feel.
DETAILS
The ground floor hosts an intimate experience studio inviting guests to experiment with Monin syrups. With a highly agile layout, the center effortlessly transitions from intimate tastings to larger workshops and professional seminars. The main bar – the heart of the space – is clad with cement patterned tile reminiscent of traditional athangudi tiles with cane bar stools. The bar shelves are simple and elegant allowing the product to be the hero. The flooring has the sensibility of 70’s terrazzo found in every Indian home of the period. The seating is upholstered in Ikat fabrics.
‘The Monin Story’ is told through comic style illustrated panels set in a Rajasthani Kavad storytellers box unfolding the history of the brand.
The space expands through a set of French windows out to an outdoor patio – a more casual and relaxed space to gather around a central communal table. The window jamb is lined with a custom designed and hand-painted Warli-style frieze where the usual dancing figures are also shaking up cocktails. An outdoor bar clad with terracotta breeze blocks is set off against an arched backdrop with shelves. A retractable awning provides shade and rain protection while fairy lights strung across from side to side create a warm, bright atmosphere in the evenings.
The stairway that leads to the first floor is lined with decorative linear railings incorporating metal warli figures in the detail. The dancing figures lead you up to the first floor. The first floor, dedicated to private office spaces, provides a calm counterpoint to the experience zone below. Again, elements of warli art are seen in the decor with a wall frieze and a large mural of two Monin bottles in the conference room.
On the outside the building is treated simply – painted walls with terracotta-colored accents and a warli frieze band running around the perimeter. A statement terracotta breeze block jali wall runs the height of the entire staircase on the outside. All around, the property is edged with plenty of plants including some old growth trees which have been preserved. A pathway made of granite pavers leads from the Main Gate with laser-cut letters spelling ‘MONIN’ to the front door made of fluted glass panels with a handle in the shape of a Monin bottle. Each of these little details brings a bit of the brand to every corner of this quaint property.
