Expressions in the Backyard
The first thing you will notice when you enter this otherwise nondescript Adyar bungalow called Backyard (literally located in one) is that it is a space which is modern yet informal at the same time, and seems to have a lot going on at any point in time. There’s somebody working on a laptop with tumblers of filter coffee for company, there’s a bunch of friends giggling away over gossip and there are those, deep in thought, sitting in a quiet corner. Backyard is Chennai’s first anti-café—an innovative space where you pay for the time spent in the café rather than on a specific dish or beverage.
Essentially, Backyard is a co-working café and event space with numerous possibilities. The ground floor with seating options of all kinds (low chairs, high chairs, floor seating), is the café space and is bustling with energy just a few weeks into its opening. The first floor is for events, both in-house and others and can be used as a rehearsal space for theatre and music. We can see the outside seating turning into a meeting space for artistes on this side of the town. There’s a drafting table, tracing table and board games, so you can mix work and play.
Started by young architecture graduates Akshaya Chittybabu, 22 and Nithya Fernandez, 23, Backyard is a culmination of sorts of their college thesis that deals in collaborative spaces. You pay for the time spent here, and the coffee/tea (unlimited) and WiFi are included in the cost. There’s also a small food menu that changes every day and is catered by home chefs. The prices are rather low and a meal would only set you back by as little as Rs 100. “Since we are charging people for the time spent here, the food had to be pocket friendly, we thought,” says Chittybabu.
Spend some time exploring the space and you’ll find interesting things in every corner—from a wall that lets you doodle endlessly on tracing paper or blind date books that have a series of clues on them. This may not be a conventional co-working space that allows you the luxury of peace and quiet to work solo but might be perfect to get those creative juices flowing when you are trying to crack a pitch. AT 53/23, 3rd Main Road, Gandhi Nagar, Adyar TEL 07358458117 PRICE Rs 100 for an hour and goes up to Rs 500 for 12 hours TIME 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.