Client: Flatbread & Butter
Location: Tampa, FL
Project Type: Commercial / Furniture
Timeline: Â 2 Days Printing / 2 Days to Install (by Contractor)
The Challenge
In the competitive food and coffee scene of Downtown Tampa, atmosphere is just as important as the menu. Flatbread and Butter, a vibrant all-day café, needed an interior aesthetic that matched their artisanal approach to food. They sought to move away from the flat, predictable surfaces of standard quartz or wood countertops. The goal was to create functional service areas that doubled as art installations, surfaces that invited customers to touch and engage with the space while waiting for their morning coffee or lunch.
The Solution
Printera collaborated with the café to fabricate two key interior elements: the main service coffee bar and a striking high top dining bar. The design team utilized the freedom of 3D printing to implement a “Voronoi” pattern, a cellular geometric design often found in nature (resembling giraffe skin or dragonfly wings). While traditional manufacturing struggles to carve such intricate, irregular shapes, our robotic printers executed the design effortlessly. The high top food bar features this organic voronoi structure on its façade, creating a play of shadow and depth that changes the feel of the room, while the coffee bar provides a sturdy, robust anchor for the staff’s workflow.
The Outcome
The installation proves that complex design can handle the rigors of a busy restaurant. The 3D-printed concrete creates a modern, sophisticated aesthetic that feels distinct from the industrial-chic look common in coffee shops. The result is a tactile dining experience where the furniture is a conversation starter. By blending the organic “giraffe skin” texture with the solidity of concrete, Flatbread and Butter now boasts a signature look that is as memorable as their food.
