Café, Belgrade

The design for the Majik Café is based on Rashid's philosophy of creating an inspiring and seamless world that stimulates all the senses by fusing the physical and the virtual. This approach is inherent to all his designs for interior spaces, which span the globe from New York to Singapore and from Moscow to Belgrade. In the Majik's 'East meets West' design, the West provides digital freedom and technology, and the East inspiring places and ancient patterns. This mixture creates an engaging and kaleidoscopic fulgent space for lounging, dining and drinking, and even 'digital' flirting: a scrolling LED message board displays text messages from customers' mobile phones.

Rashid's love of sensuous lines and brilliant hues is reflected in the Majik's dynamic interior – in walls covered with huge digital prints, in the gold vinyl ceiling, the patterned floor finished in engineered stone, and the glass bar which is constantly changing colour and mood. Rounded forms and curves define the windows and the bar, as well as decorating the walls. The facade is finished in polished stainless steel tiles.

The duality of technology (digital) and content (organic) – dubbed 'technorganic' by Rashid – continues in the detailing: male and female faces frame the entrance to the lounge area, while in the washrooms guests view their reflections in human head profile mirrors with the time and date radiating from their eyes. As Karim says, 'Spaces should give us an emotional lift, be it fulgent, fervid, or peaceful'– a credo that makes his design especially appropriate for a city like Belgrade, which is rich in contrast and contradictions.