BOWL Cafe in Kiev, Ukraine by AKZ Architectura

AKZ Architectura has designed BOWL Café in Kiev, Ukraine, transforming a traditional 1930s apartment into a nutrition-focused hospitality venue. The 58sqm site was stripped back to reveal a brick and concrete shell, along with some historically telling decorative elements that AKZ transitioned into the new design.

The dominant material is a sturdy metal mesh, used by the architects to form a long communal bench seat, chairs, stools, and dining tables with steel bases topped by glass. The long, narrow site is open and communal, with the mesh seating to one side, and an ordering counter to the other.

Aiming to challenge the conservative stereotypes of the post-soviet system, AKZ blurred the boundaries between zones for eating and relaxation. Rather than providing separate tables, the shared layout encourages a social dynamic between patrons and prompts a new understanding of the urban café ecosystem, functioning as a space for people to gather and connect.

Amongst crisp white rendered facades, irregular, jagged patches of the old brick are left partially exposed, bringing warmth to the otherwise sterile combination of bright white and stainless steel. Adding to this, the architects uncovered ornate soviet wallpaper from the previous apartment, adding a homely sense of authenticity against the steel.

Grey marble ribboned with natural gold and pink hues is used for the café’s counter and bathroom benchtops, a contrasting element of luxury against the predominant raw industrial materials. Infinito strip lights by Davide Groppi cross beneath a baroque plaster fixture. Puddle-like mirrors balance the otherwise strict, straight lines of the café.