Manual Espresso Bar is located in Shanghai’s Xuhui District, on the ground floor of a completely blue residential building. The bar, designed by Office Coastline, can be recognised by its garage-like appearance. 

The owner originally wanted to put his favourite bicycles in the space, so the architects came up with the idea of a garage café, a casual place for people to stop for a drink and socialize.

The pale blue, folding metal shutter reveals a small space organised on two sides: one part hosts a kitchen counter with a coffee machine, the other places tables and chairs made out of perforated cement blocks. The ambience is characterised by the use of raw materials such as concrete, metal and exposed bricks, while non-slip aluminium panels are used on the floor.

In the centre, a service trolley with wheels can be moved outside and, at the back, a shelf serves as a small workshop for bicycles, officially transforming the space into a garage.