rétrograde: Return to the '60s with today's modernity.

A renovation of an old shelter, located in a narrow Orressey alley, is a very exciting and nostalgic makeover experience to work on in a while. With major influence of the 1960s architecture, this bar aesthetic reserves most of its origin and is only redesigned where damaged and redundant. We want to recall and embrace the style of the existing household materials and other vintage elements including furniture, 'unwanted' graffiti art, and propaganda wall stickers. To some, these seem to be out-of-style or unpleasant images for the design, but it is a repurpose by the designer as to soak in the bygone moments once again.

The exterior appearance remains untouched for the most part, only a few fixtures and main entrance are restored. We keep the rustic wall texture, repaint where necessary, and add some decorative wall bricks. Upon entry, the use of dimly-lit blue and pink lighting gives ones a fun and laid-back vibe while listening to music with some cold beer. The muted cyber interior space is flooded with graffiti arts, service decals and vintage ornaments, bringing back the feeling of walking down Phnom Penh backstreets and glancing around the '60s colonial architecture.