Flipnotics

I went to Flipnotics coffee shop in the Triangle to read the Invisible Cities excerpts. I had never been there before, and it seemed like a place that would have a good amount of customers. My initial impression was that it looked like a typical coffee shop: it had a modern design with angles and bright colors. However, as I was reading these articles, my eyes started to open as I started to analyze the design of the space and how it would be inhabited.
The first article talks about how people have different views of a place depending on where they are coming from. I started to think about all of the different ways a person can get to Flipnotics. There is plenty of parking and a bus stop just outside, many people ride their bikes or walk, and many others come from the apartments upstairs or the pool, which is just outside the back door. The coffee shop looks different from the front and the back. From the front, it looks like a typical modern coffee shop with display cases for pastries and a counter with barstools. From the back, however, it looks more like a casual wine bar. The counters are plain white, and there are wine bottles on display. In the back, there are lots of tables and chairs and a small stage for performances.
The fifth essay goes along with this topic. It explains how in a certain city, there are many different routes a person could take to reach their destination. It goes on to say that “the most fixed and calm lives in Esmerelda are spent without any repetition.” There are many different ways a person could arrive at Flipnotics. They also have an extensive menu, so one can try something new every time he goes there.
The essay about Zaira changed my opinion about Flipnotics in a major way. It discusses the relationships between architecture and the events that take place there. It pointed out that every detail of architecture can have some story to tell. I began to think about all the different furniture and spaces where something could have occurred. The barstools in the front could tell of someone who came in wanting to talk. The couch could tell of someone wanting to relax on their own or with a friend. The tables in the back could tell of people studying and talking, and the stage could tell of people who played there. This essay opened my eyes to how a space is inhabited and the different types of people and activities that occur in a space.
The last essay that really affected my way of thinking of the coffee shop was the essay about Ersilia. In this city, people ties strings from place to place to show the relationships. Once they have too many strings, the people leave, and the strings are all that remain. When I was reading this, I realized how much I had closed myself inside the coffee shop. There was an entire complex outside. It reminded me that relationship ties are what gives the coffee shop much of its business.
Overall, these essays have reminded me of some of the major elements of the design process. They opened my eyes to how a building is inhabited. As designers, we need to think about the people that would be occupying a space rather than just trying to create an object that looks cool. We also need to think about the types of relationships a building has with its surroundings and how that affects the design of a space.