Fragments

3al Raseef — Al Manar
Interior Design

3al Raseef — Al Manar

Same soul, new rhythms — expanding the sidewalk into a cultural destination

Location Saudi Arabia
Year 2026
Sector F&B
Status In Progress

3al Raseef Al Manar does not reinvent the original — it expands it. The Al Manar branch deepens the Social Bar's cultural identity across two levels, introducing new spatial possibilities while staying grounded in the same philosophy: the sidewalk, reimagined.

Brief

The client requested a branch concept for the Al Manar location that would grow the 3al Raseef experience beyond its original footprint — attracting film lovers, performers, small cultural gatherings, and a broader audience, without abandoning the brand's existing soul. The brief asked for a richer spatial layering: more ways to linger, more ways to connect.

Ground Floor

The ground floor is organised around a central axis that moves from outdoor seating and a delivery window at street level through to the bar, a vinyl record wall, and a conversation pit at the rear.

3al Raseef Roasts introduces the Yasuo Ishii Stronghold S7X coffee roaster as a visible focal point rather than a hidden back-of-house element. Positioned in full view, the roasting process becomes part of the performance — deepening visitors' connection to the coffee and turning craft into spectacle.

3al Raseef Gathers uses subtle level changes rather than partitions to define different seating experiences. The sunken conversation pit — set 30 cm below the main floor — creates a sense of enclosure and intimacy that encourages longer stays and deeper social interaction. It anchors the space without dividing it.

3al Raseef Collectables distributes brand merchandise throughout the café rather than confining it to a single corner. Vinyl records, books, and branded objects are integrated into shelving, walls, and seating zones — visible from every seat, engaging without interrupting the spatial flow.

Mezzanine Level

The mezzanine operates as a dual-purpose level, balancing operational efficiency with social ease.

3al Raseef Prepares introduces a preparation kitchen as a central production hub for the wider branch network — designed for efficiency and consistency, positioned alongside the lounge rather than hidden from it.

3al Raseef Reads continues the brand's DNA of books and quiet corners. The reading ritual at Al Manar is preserved and gently reinforced: bookshelves, curated volumes, and calm seating remain woven into the spatial narrative. Reading happens naturally here — between a sip and a moment of stillness.

Material Palette

Warm walnut wood paneling, exposed stone walls, and concrete ceilings establish the material base. Persian rugs ground the seating zones. Mashrabiya-inspired screens — in both traditional turned wood and raw metal mesh — filter light and frame views between levels. Stained glass panels introduce color at the transom line, casting shifting reflections across the floor below. Thonet bentwood chairs and teal upholstered banquettes complete the palette: rooted in craft, contemporary in composition.

Facade

The front elevation is a two-storey timber grid system with large glazed panels that expose the interior activity to the street. Mashrabiya-patterned perforated screens run across the transom band of both floors, modulating light and maintaining visual continuity with the brand's heritage references.

3al Raseef Al Manar facade elevation line drawing — two-storey shopfront with mashrabiya arched windows and Arabic signage on dark background
Ground floor and loft furniture plan showing bar service, outdoor seating, conversation pit, bookshelves, roaster position, and mezzanine prep area
Design philosophy moodboard with Hijazi architectural references, music performance, vinyl culture, screen projection, and book corner inspirations
Bar counter view — mashrabiya screen partition on left filtering light, mezzanine visible overhead, barista at white marble counter, exposed brick wall behind

Same Soul, New Rhythms — the Al Manar branch expands 3al Raseef's cultural identity across new spatial possibilities

Ground floor vinyl record wall with floor-to-ceiling shelving displaying album covers and records, teal banquette seating, mosaic café tables, mezzanine visible above

Between a Note and a Sip — the record wall anchors the ground floor's cultural identity

Main ground floor dining area — bentwood chairs on Persian rug, bookshelf visible in background, mezzanine overhead, warm natural light

3al Raseef Roasts — the roaster as a focal point, turning production into part of the experience

Lounge zone with dark slatted wood ceiling, green tufted sofa, pipe-and-board bookshelf, communal dining table under pendant lamp
Wide-angle ground floor view — vinyl record shelving wall on left, bar service counter in centre, mezzanine above, mashrabiya screens filtering natural light on right

3al Raseef Collectables — merchandise distributed throughout the space, woven into shelves and seating zones

Sunken conversation pit — cream upholstered sofas on geometric patterned tile, plants, mashrabiya screens, mezzanine rail above

A sunken zone 30cm below the main floor — fostering intimacy and longer social stays

Interior view toward mashrabiya screen wall — café seating with green cushions, Persian rug, mezzanine visible, daylight flooding through perforated screens

3al Raseef Gathers — shifts in floor level define distinct seating experiences without partitions

Mezzanine reading lounge — floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, cream sofa, Persian rug, wooden table, glazed prep kitchen partition visible to the right

3al Raseef Reads — books and quiet corners woven naturally into the mezzanine's spatial narrative

Rendered front facade elevation in four panels — two-storey shopfront with warm timber grid framing, mashrabiya perforated screens at transom level, and 3al Raseef signage
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