PURITAN
Located in the residual geometry of a commercial shell, Puritan is a tenant finish-out that stitches three programs, ice cream shop, coffee bar, and craft brewery, into a single continuous experience. Rather than divide the space along traditional tenant boundaries, the design embraces the irregularity of the existing plan, treating it as a meandering interior street where one program dissolves into the next.
The architectural strategy is driven by a gradient of light and material. A continuous line of dropped ceiling winds through the space, clad in marching wooden slats. A continuous gradient of stain is applied to this slatted device implying the program below, white for ice cream, warm neutrals for coffee, and deep tones for beer.
This chromatic progression becomes both wayfinding and narrative, guiding patrons through the space while telling the story of the sequence. Below, the bar and counter spaces correspond to this device tracing the circulation path and shaping the ceiling into a soft descent from day to night, sweet to strong.
PURITAN
YEAR 2017
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS
Photos by Lucky McMahon
Construction by Stronghold Contracting
Engineering by GA Engineering
The rest of the interior remains deliberately open, allowing the programs to breathe and blur. The space is minimally finished, allowing raw structure and lighting to carry atmospheric weight. Puritan transforms a leftover shell into a legible spatial story, using light, material, and form to unify three distinct offerings into one architectural promenade.