Nostalgia and functionality

Inspired by the carefree spirit of the 1950s, the Overlook Café is located inside the Olympic Club, the oldest private sports club in the United States founded in 1860 in downtown San Francisco. Completed in 2020, the project led by Oakland-based architecture and interior design firm Arcsine transports visitors back to a time when mid-century modern architecture and design flourished.

Arcsine, which describes itself as “an architecture and interiors firm that uses design to spark conversations, excite engagement and strengthen communities”, set out to create a contemporary space that also reflects the club’s sports-driven heritage.

The café evokes the colours, furnishings and materials that symbolised the prosperity, health and optimism of the post-war years. “We believe that good design brings people together, fosters relationships and inspires creativity,” say the architects.

Located above the pool room, the Overlook Café is a place where members and guests can enjoy hot meals, drinks or snacks. Visitors are greeted by a framed vintage club flag and a logo with letters playfully depicted as being half-submerged in water.

True to its name, the brightly lit café overlooks the pool through a glass wall. It offers a variety of seating options: counter-seating equipped with power outlets, communal high-top tables, movable C-shaped tables, a co-working area with coffee tables, and lounge booths with red button-tufted banquettes inspired by classic 1950s American diners. With their striking red colour and soft contours, these banquettes contrast with the aqua, ivory and wood tones chosen for the walls, floors, ceilings and furnishings.

The floor and wall coverings also recall the colours and aesthetics of the period while using contemporary materials and technologies. Horizontal bands of wall tiles frame the space between the wood-look vinyl flooring and the elegant wooden ceiling, emphasising the vertical view onto the pool.

A key aesthetic and functional feature is the ceramic wall behind the counter and drinks area, where Arcsine used white ceramic picket tiles from the Crayons collection by Settecento – Manifattura Ceramica. This double-fired white-body tile, with its diamond-shaped profile, recalls the look and glossy finish of traditional artistic ceramics while brightening the interiors and conveying a sense of hygiene and craftsmanship.