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Architects: Studio11
- Area : 60 m²
- Year : 2021
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Photographs :Alexandra Ovseets
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Lead Architects : Maksim Vavinski, Daria Studneva, Alena Azhgirei
Text description provided by the architects. The design concept of Zerno overcame a change in the process of construction after the demolition works revealed fragments of old stucco moldings and decorated ceilings. This discovery encouraged us to build the interior around these small pieces of living history in the very heart of the city. The coffee shop has two lighting scenarios: diffused lighting for the ceiling and spotlights for wall-mounted artifacts.
A composition of light metal trays floating at a distance from the ceiling emphasizes the ceiling décor by providing soft ambiance and creating the effect of ‘museum lighting’. A floor-to-ceiling window allowing a maximum of lighting inside is one more advantage of the space. The seats are designed to enframe the window on both sides without blocking it.
Furniture elements form a continuous outline and divide space into a waiting area with a bar counter and the café area itself with cozy sofas and tables, and the location of the brew bar allows any visitor to observe the coffee-making process. The monochrome interior ensures the integrity of space and reduces visual noise without shifting any highlighted details.
Undestroyed raw walls and smooth painted veneer have very close tone colors, which gives artistic expression to the interior and makes it more resonant, whereas neutral-colored terrazzo slabs on the floor remind of the Soviet past. As for the wall exposition of ceramic blocks brought over from Palanga (Lithuania) – it is just another evidence of the museum character of the place.
