The latest iteration of the celebrated Niko Neko 5.0 matcha atelier has arrived in Kuala Lumpur, a serene counterpoint to the city’s corporate dynamism. Designed by the visionary team at Spacemen Studio, this new outpost inhabits the bustling ground floor of one of the city’s prominent MET towers, a corporate complex defined by its towering scale. More than just a café, the space is conceived as a necessary urban retreat, specializing in the delicate art of matcha tea, offering busy colleagues an environment to take a mindful pause and wind down, all while enjoying a framed view of the tranquil landscaped gardens outside.
The fundamental architectural concept employed by Spacemen Studio centers on defining intimacy within a monumental scale. To articulate the boundary between the tower’s vast, marble-clad lobby and the smaller, more personal atelier, the designers introduced a shallow platform. This subtle elevation immediately shifts the viewer’s perspective and establishes a sense of spatial exclusivity, transforming a corner of a large public area into an intimate destination. Crucially, the studio ensured the space’s seamless integration by borrowing the inherent material palette, utilizing the building’s pre-existing silver-grey tones from the marbled walls and floors.
Above this defined space, the design achieves its dramatic kinetic effect through a series of bespoke, lightweight curtains. These textile strips, meticulously hand-dyed by the artisanal collaborator Duniamotif, cascade down from the ceiling. They are arranged in closely following panels, creating a stunning visual analogy: the fabric strips mimic the intricate patterns of the growth rings found in a sliced tree trunk, or perhaps the gentle ripples expanding across a liquid surface. This feature acts as the primary artistic element, transforming the ceiling into a dynamic canvas.
This soft, rippling movement overhead is masterfully juxtaposed with materials that offer cool permanence. The internal architectural elements, including the sleek bar counter, the walls, and product displays, are uniformly defined by precise, hard-edged aluminium cladding. The material’s cool, reflective quality catches the light filtering through the dynamic textiles, producing intricate, shifting patterns that enhance the space’s overall sense of motion and light play, making the static surfaces appear unexpectedly animated.
The interplay between the rippling curtains and the reflective materials is not purely aesthetic; it serves as the core of the café’s conceptual narrative. Spacemen Studio consciously used this dynamicity to reinforce the very act of preparing the matcha—the rapid, fluid motion of mixing and whisking the fine powder into liquid. The resulting contemporary interior is thus a physical manifestation of this ritual, inviting patrons to observe or partake in a process characterized by motion, texture, and meditative concentration. This narrative-driven café design elevates the space beyond simple utility.
In its entirety, Niko Neko 5.0 stands as a sophisticated example of modern Malaysian architecture applied to high-end commercial interior design. It deftly solves the challenge of creating a restorative, branded experience within a high-traffic, corporate context. Spacemen Studio has delivered a compelling piece of architectural concept where materiality, art, and function converge, solidifying this location as a premier destination for both design enthusiasts and those simply seeking a moment of quiet reflection in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.