VEJ Chennai

Located in the busy junction of Lake View Road and Arya Gowda Road, VEJ is a tiny, 20 sq.m, irregular trapezoidal site with a single opening - the front. A modest budget and a super tight deadline made for an even more challenging project.The colours of the English style main door, navy blue with lime green highlights, is synchronous with the signboard and the two-tone partition/poster wall outside and was based on the colours of the brand which embodied the refreshing, youthful vibe of VEJ. The interior layout, with dark wooden dining ledges on either wall in stark contrast to the stools painted in the brand’s colours, was chosen over a more conventional setup to maximise the dining area and also accommodate the cash counter and the custom-made Cuddapah stone wash basin. The kitchen and pot-wash area were pushed to the rear, separated by a partition with a pantry window on the door for service. Off-white walls, dark wood patterned flooring, vintage ‘Table lamp’ spotlights with muted lighting and pops of colour from the furniture and branding, VEJ is a delicious slice of tranquillity in a maddeningly crowded location.