In the ever-evolving urban landscape of King Abdullah Financial District, Apple Butter arrives as both a destination and a declaration. Following the success of its London flagship, the Riyadh outpost—designed by Rabih Geha Architects for Adara Group—reinterprets the brand’s identity through a spatial narrative that is confident, convivial, and quietly theatrical.
Completed in 2025, the 322-square-metre interior with an additional 106-square-metre outdoor terrace situates Apple Butter as a social condenser within KAFD: a café conceived not simply for consumption, but for conversation. The project was led by a multidisciplinary team including Arine Bachakdjian, Cynthia Safi, and Grace Missirian, with contracting and project management by BES—an ensemble effort that reads clearly in the coherence of the final result.
From the outset, the café announces itself through a bold red façade, a chromatic gesture that cuts decisively through the district’s corporate geometry. It is an exterior that signals warmth and immediacy, drawing visitors inward toward a space where colour, texture, and symbolism work in deliberate harmony. At the heart of the interior stands an iconic apple tree—less ornament than anchor—around which the café’s social life is choreographed. It establishes a dialogue between nature and artifice, grounding the space while subtly organising its flow.
Materiality plays a central role. Brick walls—punctuated by arched mirrors—introduce a note of nostalgia while amplifying depth and perspective. Underfoot, green patterned bistro tiles by CE.SI lend rhythm and tactility, while the double-height ceiling, washed in a saturated red and softened by rattan textures, extends the identity of the façade inward. Pendant lights inspired by glass jars hover overhead, casting a warm glow that evokes ideas of preservation, comfort, and domestic ritual.
Seating is layered and intentional: rattan chairs nod to traditional café culture, while generous green upholstered sofas encourage longer, more relaxed stays. At the far end, a green bar—accented by an arched red back bar—creates a visual counterpoint, its surfaces complemented by materials from APE Grupo and Bati Orient.
Outdoors, a shaded terrace draped in red fabric and framed by greenery acts as a threshold between city and sanctuary. Here, Apple Butter reveals its true ambition: to function as a social stage. In Riyadh, as in London, it is a place designed to prolong encounters, choreograph everyday rituals, and transform the simple act of coffee drinking into an experience of subtle delight.
