Friday Feature: Architecture and Design at Boboko Indonesian Cafe

Our Friday Features offer in-depth looks at some of our favorite recent shoots. Refill your coffee mug, take a seat, and dive into inspiring stories served with serious photo eye candy!A good architectural photographer understands that shooting finished, occupied buildings is complex work. Shoots like these are layered, and here's what that means: we're primarily photographing the work of architects, but their projects frequently overlap with those of other professionals.Whether that's builders or interior designers, a university or a small business, we want to make everyone involved with a space look good. Take BoBoko Indonesian Cafe. It's in a building designed by Blue Ridge Architects. It was built by that firm's construction arm, Blueline Building Solutions. And it's owned and operated by Chef Ridwan, a passionate cook preparing international dishes in downtown Harrisonburg, VA.They each brought some of their own influence to the space. Our job is to show that off!We started with can't-miss architectural elements. The exposed brick and heavy wooden beams. Modern outdoor rails. The overhead tapestry of lighting and pipes. Gorgeous stuff.As we photographed the overall building design, we were also working in details. Woven shades cover pendant lights. Walls adorned with painted masks and a map of Indonesia. An array of ingredients on display.It isn't always easy to capture a space's architecture, design, and use in images, but the thoughtful work put into BoBoko made it a pleasure to shoot. A lot of the credit for its cohesion goes to Blue Ridge Architects. They aim to create "meaningful and functional spaces," that communicate "culture, values, and identity." We think they nailed it here.But we also credit Chef Ridwan, who grew up selling produce with his father in a Javanese market. On the day of our shoot, he was piping batter for French macarons. So, we captured that, too.Like photography, architecture doesn't exist in a bubble. Plans become structures, and structures change as they're put to use.We left Boboko inspired by Chef Ridwan, and impressed by Blue Ridge's forward-thinking work. The adaptable space they planned and constructed has grown into a beautiful restaurant that we're happy to have in Harrisonburg.Hungry for more of our architectural work? Click here for more inspiring photos, or here to set up an appointment of your own. We'll see you next Friday!