In its newest Mont Kiara outpost, Niko Neko Matcha unveils more than a café, it unveils an atmosphere. The brand’s fifth branch in Kuala Lumpur, Niko Neko 5.0, transforms matcha culture into a spatial ritual, bringing together architectural precision and textile craft in a collaboration with Spacemen Studio and natural dye atelier DuniaMotif.
Floating above the café’s pared-back interior is a vast installation of hand-dyed silk, gently sweeping across the ceiling like wind-caught clouds. Conceptualized by Spacemen Studio and executed by DuniaMotif, the piece radiates a quiet tactility, soft, contemplative, and deeply rooted in material process. Its tones of moss and olive green echo the matcha below, but their depth is born not from pigment alone, but from process.
To achieve this palette, 450 meters of silk were prepared with care. The fabric was first scoured to strip impurities, then dyed in a carefully maintained indigo vat, an unpredictable medium that rewards patience and instinct. Each panel was dipped twice into indigo, then once into a boiled extract of Tegeran wood, a local botanical that lends a warm golden hue. The result: a green neither entirely plant nor entirely mineral, but something living between the two.
The dyeing process was as exacting as it was ecological, less than 10 liters of water were used in total. Alternatives such as onion skins were considered, and the reusability of Tegeran wood dye emphasized the project’s commitment to sustainability. What emerges is not merely décor, but a philosophy. One where beauty is earned through restraint, and atmosphere is crafted through patience.
This latest location sits inside Menara The MET, a complex of sleek facades and creative energy, less than ten minutes from KL’s heart. In contrast to its steel-and-glass shell, Niko Neko 5.0 offers a moment of pause. There are few seats, just enough to linger quietly with a cup of matcha or a seasonal dessert, KIKU Matcha for the newcomers, ceremonial-grade for the purists.
But the space itself remains the true draw. Between fabric and form, light and leaf, it tells a story of collaboration, craftsmanship, and a reverence for slowness. At Niko Neko 5.0, matcha isn’t just served, it’s felt, in the air around you.
