THE FACETS café by BBWORKSPACE reimagines gemstone beauty through architecture
Set in the artisanal heart of San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, THE FACETS is a thoughtfully crafted architectural transformation by BBWORKSPACE that brings gemstone brilliance into built reality.
Located on the grounds of a famed gemstone retailer, this café renovation and extension project draws deeply from the multifaceted nature of precious stones.
More than a simple design gesture, the project transforms the metaphors of color, clarity, and cut into an immersive spatial language that communicates both elegance and cultural resonance.
The architectural composition is articulated in two volumes, each distinct yet harmoniously interconnected. The original structure has been enveloped in clear glass blocks of varying sizes arranged in alternating rhythms.
This treatment invokes the clarity and translucence of crystal while allowing light to filter softly through the structure, making it glow like a gemstone on display after dark.
The combination of white, silver, and transparency not only enhances spatial luminosity but also abstracts the purity often associated with unblemished stones.
Adjacent to this crystalline core is the newly built extension, an architectural gem in its own right. Its diamond-inspired form emerges through angular steel framing clad in acrylic panels layered with dichroic film.
The result is a façade that visually transforms throughout the day, catching the shifting sunlight to emit iridescent reflections reminiscent of opal, sapphire, and aquamarine. This living skin of light and color creates a continuously evolving visual dialogue between material and nature.
The interior unfolds like the inner world of an uncut gem, raw, mysterious, and full of potential. Walls undulate with cave-like textures, echoing the stone’s original resting place within the earth.
Every surface and material has been curated by BBWORKSPACE to reflect gemological essence. The dominant use of white paired with metallic finishes and reflective panels conjures the image of crystals ready to be shaped and revealed.
Central to this luminous interior is the counter bar, a sculptural centerpiece faceted in mirrored aluminum. Its reflective surface not only adds drama to the space but also channels the dazzling brilliance of polished diamonds.
Above, suspended acrylic panels drift in response to ambient movement and light, casting subtle shadows and refractions. Furniture selections further enhance this sensorial experience.
Sculpted with references to raw mineral forms, they are sheathed in polished laminates and colored acrylics, subtly referencing stones like amethyst, citrine, and garnet.
The connection between design and nature continues in the surrounding landscape. A minimalist garden composed of verdant foliage balances the sharpness of the architecture, offering moments of softness and calm.
A winding pond integrates with the outdoor seating, catching reflections and creating a kinetic mirror of the building’s geometry. The material palette extends into the garden, where handmade clay bricks form organic, curved boundaries that bring a tactile connection to local craft traditions.
BBWORKSPACE’s approach integrates innovation with cultural storytelling. By sourcing local materials and honoring Chiang Mai’s artisanal heritage, the design bridges the timelessness of craftsmanship with the clarity of contemporary form.
THE FACETS transcends the function of a café, emerging instead as a living metaphor, where architecture does not just house, but embodies the very spirit of the gemstone.
Photography by Rungkit Charoenwat, with courtesy of BBWORKSPACE
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