Our Design
A celebration of the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles also inspired the design choices of the Liberation Coffee House. The interior palette of red, orange, yellow and green—which represent life, healing, sunlight, and nature, respectively, as part of the LGBTQ Pride flag—reference the positive, optimistic, and free spirit of the LGBTQ community and Los Angeles. A series of overlapping shear fabric panels hung along the café’s floor-to-ceiling windows create a gradient of color reminiscent of California’s spectacular sunsets.
Fostering Pride & Warmth in a Community-Driven Space
While the day‐to‐day use is a retail coffee shop, Liberation Coffee House’s agile space layout can be reconfigured quickly to accommodate gallery openings, meetings, lectures, celebrations, networking mixers, and other community events.
Inspiration
“The café’s interior space was inspired by artist Keith Haring whose vivid colors and simple lines evoke energy and life. Building on this framework, the soft-curved architectural elements of the café’s walls and furnishing represent the notion of fluidity. The Center’s brief was to create a space that is welcoming to all, and our response was to create a flexible space that is fun, approachable, and accommodating to a variety of uses.” – ORA Architect and Designer Oonagh Ryan
Location
“Having just completed the Anita May Rosenstein Campus, it was only fitting that Swinerton came back to build the beautiful Liberation Coffee House for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. We are so honored to build this project that enhances a center which advocates for everything we believe in as a socially responsible company serving our community.” – Swinerton Vice President – Division Manager Lia Tatevosian
PROJECT TEAM
- Architect: ORA
- Oonagh Ryan, Principal
- James Guillou, Project Manager
- Brian Trinidad, Designer
- Contractor: Swinerton Builder
- Millwork: Day Star Industries
- Furniture: Pacific Office Interiors
- Upholstery: Quality Custom Upholstery
- Fabric Panels: Brisas Drapery
- Framing: Cali Framing
- Plants: Sunset Boulevard Nursery
Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment
Tile: Emser Logic 3” x 6” Glossy White Ceramic Tile with Custom Color Red Epoxy Grout
Corian: Cameo White
