Headed North Design Studio emblem — arc, mountain triangle and horizon bars HEADED NORTH design studio
The Windsong Cafe dining room as built — timber sofas and mustard cushions, planters of pothos, and the open kitchen counter beyond
Hospitality · Dibrugarh, Assam · Interiors

Windsong Cafe

Type
Hospitality
Location
Dibrugarh, Assam
Size
4,300 sq ft
Status
Built 2022
Layout
Furniture layout plan of the cafe, annotated, captioned with the view of the Laptang range

The furniture layout: reception and waiting by the lift, kitchen behind, seating turned outward — captioned with what it looks at, the Laptang range.

Axonometric of the cafe with every zone annotated

The cafe pulled open: couple seating on the panoramic side, the stage set mid-room to divide it, and a jaali wall that doubles as a trophy wall.

Section through the cafe and the terrace bar above

Section through both levels: kitchen and service way below, the glazed viewing side kept open, the cantilevered fifth floor roofed in truss and asphalt sheet.

Material board with tiles, veneer, cane, fabrics and lime paint

The palette: teak veneer and cane against lime-based paint, patterned encaustic tile, and chevron and gradient fabrics for the seating.

As designed
Render of the entry, with the jaali wall above the fluted reception desk

The entry as designed: the jaali wall of pockets and rattan discs, and the desk below it wearing a neon hello.

Render of the corridor from the entrance, with the service counter to one side

The walk in, past a planter and a verdigris column, with the service counter and its glazed hatch to the kitchen running alongside.

Render of the central stage flanked by the jaali screens

The stage sits in the middle rather than at one end, so it divides the room and everyone gets an angle on it.

Render looking across the lounge seating to the wall signage

Looking across the lounge seating to the wall, and the line the cafe gave itself: escape the ordinary.

Render of the full dining room at sunset

The room as a whole, with the long glazed edge and the sunset it was planned around.

Render of the dining room at dusk with glazing on two sides

Glazing on two sides at dusk — marble tables, cane chairs, and a swing hung in the corner.

Specification for the reception backdrop pattern, module by module, with a key

The reception backdrop set out module by module — R for rattan mesh, O for a complete cutout, and a CNC-cut motif between them.

Working drawing of the reception desk with dimensions and finishes

The reception desk drawn to build: four feet of fluted wooden slats, a black granite top with a one-inch brass border, and the neon fixed to the face.

Working drawing of the service table in elevation and section

The service table, five feet of it — rattan backing on the furniture face, concealed drawer handles, and a brass rail for back support.

On site
The dining room with the kitchen open along one side, planters set into a timber counter

The dining room, the kitchen open to it behind a run of planters, drum shades over the tables and the terrace beyond.

The built corridor leading to the entrance, with exposed timber beams

The corridor built — timber beams overhead, planters along the rail, and the arched cutout in the door at the end.

Looking through the timber doors to the reception desk

Through the doors: the desk, its neon, and a brass rhino keeping watch on the granite.

The finished reception desk beneath the jaali wall

The backdrop as built, module for module against the drawing — arches, cutouts and rattan discs.

The dining room at night from behind a planter

Evening service, seen over one of the planters that divide the room.

The layered cane and fabric pendant above the dining room

The big pendant overhead, cane banded between two drums of fabric.

The dining room from the corner, looking back across the tables

From the corner, back across the tables to the banquette.

Spindle-framed sofas with mustard cushions beneath timber ceiling beams

Spindle frames and mustard cushions, with planting used to hold the edge of each setting.

A pair of spindle-framed settees around a marble table

A pair of settees turned in on a marble table — the jaali wall just visible past the column.

A pendant light in terracotta fabric with a rattan band

The pendants, terracotta over a rattan band. Lighting by Olie.

The jaali wall as built, in apricot, with cuttings in its niches

The jaali wall as built, in apricot, its niches holding cuttings rather than trophies.

A two-seat table at the corner glazing looking out over the trees

The couple seating the plan promised, in daylight, with the whole valley in front of it.