Retail / Architecture

Cha Angadi

Jayanagar & Koramangala, BengaluruInt-Hab Architecture + Design Studio ↗

The project

A small shop that opens to the street

A freestanding steel structure turns a tea stop into a changing street frontage. Panels fold open to reveal the counter, then close to form a compact enclosure. Teal surfaces, yellow details and a structure designed for dismantling and reinstallation give the small footprint a clear identity.

The project’s central idea is visible through a sequence of changing states. Open panels, a closed enclosure and a street-facing counter describe how the shop works across the day. Close views of colour and construction give the compact structure its identity. The story is therefore as much about operation and movement as appearance, with dismantling and reinstallation also part of the design intention.

Design: Int-Hab Architecture + Design Studio

Inside the project

Spaces & their stories.

Move through the project one space at a time. Explore the photographs and the decisions behind each setting.

Space story / 01

Opening to the street

Folding panels reveal the counter and turn the freestanding steel structure into an open tea stop.

The opened shop shows how a small structure can change its relationship with the pavement. Panels reveal the counter and allow the tea stop to address the street directly. This everyday transformation is central to the project, alongside its steel construction and ability to be dismantled and reinstalled.

Space story / 02

A compact enclosure

When the panels close, the shop becomes a compact enclosure. The changing frontage is central to its everyday operation.

The closed view is the counterpart to the open counter. Together, the two conditions explain a design organised around movement of the panels rather than a permanently open frontage. Teal surfaces and yellow details maintain a clear identity in both states of the compact structure.

Space story / 03

The changing frontage

Panels fold open and close to change the street frontage, allowing the same compact structure to alternate between counter and enclosure.

The frontage is best understood through its changing condition. As panels open or close, the enclosure and counter take on different roles within the same small footprint. The design therefore connects the shop’s appearance with its daily operation, rather than treating the facade as a fixed surface.

Space story / 04

A small space with a clear identity

Teal surfaces and yellow details define the street-facing counter. The structure is designed for dismantling and reinstallation.

The counter is the point where the compact interior meets the street. Its teal and yellow palette gives the small tea stop a clear identity, while the opening panels establish a direct frontage. The steel structure also supports the project’s intention for dismantling and reinstallation.

Space story / 05

Details within the tea shop

Teal surfaces and yellow details carry the shop’s identity into its small interior. The steel structure supports dismantling and reinstallation.

The interior details continue the identity established by the street-facing counter. Within a small footprint, surfaces, colour and the opening mechanism belong to the same design idea. The project is read through this close relationship between its construction, changing enclosure and everyday use.

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