The design for this project was generated in response to the low budget, $40,000; site limitations, 350 square feet; and tight time frame, 3 months for design and construction. Furthermore, this pragmatic design process thoroughly intersected a fabrication process in which LTL custom built the primary design features of the space. Originally a fortune-teller’s apartment and shop, the space was reconfigured by LTL as a room within a room, allowing both take-out traffic and a subdued lounge environment to coexist within the small footprint. Treating the disposable take-out coffee cup as a point of departure for material exploration, LTL constructed the interior box out of 25,000 strips of corrugated cardboard compressed in a structural steel cage, and cast a wall of 479 plaster coffee-cup lids as a sculptural feature at the entry. (Location opened 2004 & closed 2007)