Family and family values are the basis that warms a person, no matter how the world around changes.
The idea that the customers put into this place is actually even more touching and deeper. Therefore, it became paramount for us to convey love, grounding, and peace
in every detail of the future interior.
The problem of uptown is often the lack of a place where you can have a varied and high-quality meal and feed your family.
The customers, living in such a residential area, decided not to put off the old dream of creating a family cafe, and to realize it by combining the idea of brunch, author's desserts, home cooking, yoghurt ice cream (the only one in Minsk), high-quality coffee, friendly atmosphere, evening watching movies and relaxed landing.
Having got into space for the first time, we realized that the task would be difficult, but we don’t like simple ones. It was a cold concrete box of 44 m2, with no right angles, with a beam crossing the entire space. Large windows, lots of natural light, were a big plus, but still did not visually make the room warmer.
Many autonomous zones were to be placed on a small patch:
barista area, with large freezers and a coffee machine; open showcase with author's desserts; restroom; a small but full-fledged kitchen, closed from the visitors' eyes; bar area with water canal view; tables to watch movies.
The idea of evening film screenings prompted an unusual arrangement of "planting terraces". This made it possible to fit a sufficient number of small cozy groups of tables, the central parts of the entire composition are mobile, and they can be assembled and delivered to larger companies. In the future, there will be a projector and a screen.
Accent Italian tiles with the author's painting (41 ZERO 42)immerses us in a nice, cozy cafe atmosphere. The coloring of these pleasant streamlined patterns continues in textiles, furniture according to the sketches of the authors, and even in the restroom (KERAMIN).
The terrazzo on the steps of the podium (REMMERS) smoothly flows into the vertical surfaces and hugs the column till the bar top. Maximum conciseness without seams, a single author's canvas, which you want to look at and which you want to touch, resembles melting stracciatella ice cream.
The initially existing radius wall has become an excellent physical divider into areas for visitors and the area of work zone. We emphasized it with a vertical broach of the plaster with notched trowels. The idea is so simple and effective, it turned out to be not so easy to execute at our height. But a great team that is not afraid of difficult tasks did it.
The radial shape of the wall was continued in the furniture according to the sketches of the authors.
The drop in the ceiling has become an excellent pen for endless balls: for some they are associated with clouds, for others with ice cream balls. But they add a feeling of lightness and continuation of space, which means we have coped with the task.
Steps and balls have become the main feature, the leitmotif of the cafe. This stairway to heaven fits well with the idea and desire of a person to see the world from a different angle. The atmosphere and the author's taste of food are transferred to the clouds in the literal and figurative sense. We also supported the stairway to heaven theme in the bar area.
The wish of the customers was to leave the concrete native surfaces, as a reference to the starting point of the path. We liked the idea, we decided to keep the measured volume, balancing it with other surfaces, techniques and decorative methods: a concrete floor, like an island among an abundance of color; a native piece of a concrete wall in contrast with living plants stretching towards the light.
The issue with long-term storage areas on such a small footage, we also decided not quite standardly. Part of the closed areas is located horizontally under the long benches of the upper tier, part on the mezzanine above the kitchen.
With beautiful local lighting, we managed to create a space that attracts the attention of people from outside.
Large windows, especially in the evening, with glare from warm lights enveloping the radius shapes of walls and balls, beckon to look inside. The space itself is filled with light and air.
Author's lamps by Belarusian guys (@archconcrete) are also about the balance of rough terrazzo concrete and a thin fragile matte light bulb ball.
In general, we used laconic surfaces, creating a feeling of lightness, cleanliness, and tranquility. Combine colors into groups to design a variety of locations, because everyone will have their favorite place.
Appetizing colors as an aperitif before a pleasant meal.
Everything conceived came true, albeit not as quickly as originally planned, but with trepidation and love in every decision and step.
The cafe has become a family favorite, a point where you and your dog are known by name.
