The Café Design Approach Across OT Kafe Branches
OT magazine has been published since 2013 in the world of humour and literature. The same year, the magazine opened a small table in Galata where writers would drop by and sit. OT Kafe was born in 2014: the newly founded OT Group launched the franchise model and commissioned the first concept from CO Mimarlık. Since then, CO Mimarlık has designed every OT Kafe branch, and we went on to develop the café design projects that carry this identity to different cities.
We started the concept not with an architectural reference but with the magazine. First, the whole team read OT. The next day there were three phrases on the table: "politics and football alike", "young and dynamic", "fun but intellectual". These phrases shaped the menu as much as the atmosphere of the space. The concept was Highly Commended in the Leisure Interior Turkey category at the 2015–2016 European Property Awards. We describe how we built the concept on our About Us page.
Across the OT Kafe branches, the brand's distinctive language was preserved while each venue was assessed on its own terms. Instead of standard venues repeating the same design, we created original meeting places that carry OT's character.
Adapting OT Kafe's Architectural Identity to Different Branches
We kept a shared design approach across OT Kafe projects in different cities, addressing materials, lighting, furniture and graphic elements together, while the existing features of each building and the needs of its users shaped the design process.
OT Kafe Çanakkaleled the way at two of the brand's turning points. Opened in 2017 at 17 Burda Mall, the Çanakkale branch became the first to adopt the yellow-striped identity in 2024, the brand's 10th year. In 2026, on moving to the Gastroport Life Centre, it became the first branch where the completely new idea of the "New OT" was born. At the heart of this concept is a curtain: revealed between two curtains, OT tells the story of the brand's rebirth like a stage. The yellow diagonal stripes on the black floor salute the era that began in 2024, the brand's 10th year. OT Kafe Elazığ — opened in 2026 at Elysium Mall — became the second realisation of the New OT, where we interpreted the concept with timber, dark tones and plants.
28 Different Café Design Projects
To date, CO Mimarlık has carried out 28 different projects for OT Kafe, covering new branches as well as relocations and refurbishments.
In every project we preserved the brand identity, while the way each space is used, its dimensions and physical features guided the design decisions. As a result, the OT Kafe branches have become original examples among our restaurant and café projects — none repeating another. In every branch we rethought our restaurant interior design decisions according to the conditions of the space.
Each new project kept the brand's continuity while giving its venue an original character.
Space and Brand Identity in OT Kafe Branches
Warm materials, controlled lighting and varied seating stand out in OT Kafe designs, creating an intimate atmosphere where guests can spend long hours.
CO Mimarlık reflects OT's publishing culture not only through visual elements but through the way the space is used, so the design supports the brand's social and cultural character.
The OT Kafe work is among CO Mimarlık's Restaurant & Café Projects — a body of work demonstrating extensive café design experience developed across different cities.
A Consistent Architectural Language for OT Kafe
We kept the same design language across OT Kafe's branches while developing solutions specific to each project, carrying the experience of earlier projects into new spaces and bringing the brand's past and new era together in the same architectural approach.
Our OT Kafe work thus helps the brand build a sustainable spatial identity in different cities.
In short, 28 different OT Kafe projects add up to extensive café design experience, showing how the same brand can be adapted to different spatial conditions.
Design: CO Mimarlık
Brand: OT Kafe
