SABHĀ café by NaaV Studio

In India, living a plush neighbourhood usually comes with a pleasant perk—excellent coffee options. We’re talking a wave of new design-led cafés which are increasingly popping up here, becoming the preferred extended living room for its many savvy dwellers. And mind you, Hyderabad is no exception. Fuelled by flourishing hi-tech, pharmaceutical and entertainment industries, the city has gone leaps and bounds, and areas such as Film Nagar have seen a gradual transformation, keeping abreast with the sensibilities and requirements of its inhabitants. Enter SABHĀ, a recently inaugurated coffee parlour which pulls a demographic of young aficionados to its doorstep with specialty coffee and a playful interior design. Designed by local architecture and interior design practice NaaV Studio, the café occupies a 3,500 sq.ft. (325 sqm.) unit on the ground floor of a modern multi-storey office building. The L-shaped space is framed by polished concrete flooring with stainless steel inlay, a coffered ceiling with a specific configuration of recesses, and plastered walls alternated by tiled up sections.

Blue is a dominant colour here, captured by the aforementioned tiles, some of the furnishings, and of course, the slats of the elongated service counter near the entrance. Additional furniture pieces come in green, and also bright red, which ties in with the menu board’s rail behind the service counter. Needless to say, the palette of bold saturated colours visually shapes the space, while also adding to the spatial experience. A nook opposite the counter sees terraced seating crafted from pixelated glass bricks, echoing the ceiling above, and infusing the setting with an element of playful lightness. The menu at the new SABHĀ café lists classic coffee concoctions, such as espresso and cappuccino, but also modern options like caramel latte and hazelnut latte, and given the tropical heat, cold coffee options. Additionally, cold brew coffees and matcha options aim to lure in the niche crowd. Supplementing the beverage range is a range of savoury bites, salads, toast with various toppings, and pastries. © superfuture