Sweet Café

Halo Fete's mosaic marble floor is very unique for a commercial space, says Kaiser.  Photos by Janet Paxton Photos

Remodeler: Kaiser Building Co., Cranbury, N.J.

Interior designers: Jerry Reilly, Halo Farm, Lawrence, N.J.

The sterile space once belonged to a celluar phone store. Now it's a charming old-style ice cream and pastry parlor that gives reason for celebration in a newly re-developed section of downtown Princeton, N.J., an area that resembles old-style Williamsburg.

"This client does something out of the ordinary for each one of its stores and sets an appropriately high budget in order to support that," says Michael Kaiser, head of Kaiser Building in Cranbury, N.J. The project had a budget of approximately $140,000. "It is this type of very detailed and unusual commercial project that is our specialty."

The back bar and service counter were custom built to fit the space and showcase the display freezers that contain the shop's edibles.

The design for the gourmet ice cream patisserie called for high-end finishes selected to contribute a charming and rustic European flavor to the customer seating area as well as to the service counter and display cases. Materials, such as the Italian Carrera marble countertops and floor are intended to wear over time for added patina. Shiplapped pine plank paneling used for the wainscoting on the walls features a hand-rubbed gold glaze finish and has a red Venetian plaster above it.

The beamed ceiling is actually suspended from the building's structural framing, creating a chase for concealing HVAC, plumbing, piping and wiring runs. The rough-sawn beams themselves were recycled from a barn in Lancaster, Pa. Drywall panels between the beams were faux finished to simulate real plaster work, says Kaiser. "These custom touches really made this project extraordinary."