Greetings. Today i’m going to introduce you to a charming new place: 52a coffee house.
The other day, while out on my vespa looking for properties, i stumbled upon a rather interesting place that opened barely 1 month ago. In need of shelter from the wet and feeling de-hydrated, this was just the ticket!
I was intrigued by the exterior, which looked rather different.
There were 2 entrances and i quickly peaked through the window to decide whether to make a pit-stop or not. I’m pleased to say, i was pleasantly surprised. Meet salma (facing) and esra (busy at the back). Of course, you can hardly see them, but that’s just what they wanted. I always like to respect people’s wishes:-)
52a coffee house is a little bijoux in southgate road, n1. The premises were empty for 20 years (yep!) and before that it used to be a newsagent. How wonderful that 2 young female entrepreneurs had a vision and transformed this space into something vibrant.
Salma has a background in fashion and esra in media, skills which are handy for this joint venture. I loved the simple interiors with great touches of antiques and contemporary pieces and it certainly reflects both their personalities.
I rather liked this exposed brick wall and this funky table top.
What better way to spent the afternoon than with their free wifi and some interesting reading. I was rather impressed with their choices of books and magazines. Girls after my own heart!
With both families being turkish and owning restaurants, it’s no wonder that food comes natural to the owners. They pick what they like, favouring, for example, fairtrade coffee (arabica beans), mixed from 15 countries.
Check out the mini milk bottles. Cute or what?
Some home-made orange & quince jam. I was told by salma that they do a fierce mulberry molasses & sesame paste mix with toasted bread, which sadly was all sold out.
The point for me is that everything is considered, thought through and stems from the love of food and honest produce. But of course, there are also some yummy chocolate cups, meringues and muffins.
2 things i wanted to nick immediately. First off, this gorgeous fruit stand (here below) and secondly the basket which held the organic eggs.
Look at the patina on the wall. Magic, you couldn’t re-create it if you tried!
I loved how the light created these ring shadows on the eggs. Very pretty!
I’m not a coca cola fan but love the iconic glass bottles and typography.
A lovely sign just resting on the floor.
For the coffee addicts amongst you!
Don’t some of you dream of opening a little coffee and tea place? It always seems so romantic but I have a sneaky suspicion that it’s actually quite hard work!
I wish selma and esra all the best of luck and no doubt will pop in next time i’m in the area.
Hope everyone had a good week and is looking forward to the weekend. I don’t know about you, but i really feel spring is in the air. For those of you travelling to meettheblogger stockholm, wrap up warm and enjoy yourselves! I look forward to hearing all about it. See you monday. I’m excited as we have another dose of vive la différence… it’s a corker!!
