Tostado Callao

At the heart of Tostado Callao is a deliberate evocation of the traditional Buenos Aires almacén, the corner grocery, achieved without resorting to cliche. Hitzig Militello Architects chose a single material that best embodies that memory: the wooden grocery crate. Used through addition and subtraction, this one element generates spatial character on its own, an exercise in constructing decoration without decorating the construction.

The studio worked across the brand from the outset, so architecture, graphics and interior design pull in the same direction. A single-material shell of polished graphite grey calcareous tiles to floors and walls is countered by a single-material volume of stacked wooden grocery crates, which crowns the space and frames specific moments inside it. Hollows cut into the upper crate volume hold objects that nod to the concept: antique toasters, coffee makers, kitchen utensils.

Light and dark monochrome work in parallel. The crates and the objects sitting in them share a subtle uniform tone, while the graphite tiles below are polished to bring out the depth of the material. A vertical garden at the stair signals the descent to the basement and breaks the grey and white palette that holds across the rest of the room. Furniture and lighting add warmth and double as a surface for the brand's graphics, restated across the tapestries. Pared back in this way, the space steps aside and lets the products on offer, a good coffee and a well-made toasty, take the front role.

Project size: 340 m². Completed in 2018.

Architecture, concept design, project documentation and interior design by Hitzig Militello Architects. Photography by Federico Kulekdjian.