Chernyi Coffee Bar, Kharkiv – Ukraine

This bar is located in the centre of Kharkiv on the first floor of a residential building. Initially, the owners of the premises dismantled all partitions, widened the window openings from floor to ceiling, completed the stained-glass window and organized the entrance to the street.The main feature of the room was the two columns in the centre, which challenged the design. After all, they actually divide a large space into small zones. During the design process, each of the zones received its own function. Dark space and luminous cells that attract people like moths to light are the main metaphor of the project.It was considered “Chernyi” in spatial terms, using light and shadow as the source of black. By adding perfectly smooth, gliding, reflective surfaces to contrast aggressive surfaces to create a space with a rich and deep texture change.In this project, a new wall covering was developed – black quartz sand. After trying a huge number of variations of applying different sand and paint fractions, the ideal technology used in the project was found. To counterbalance the aggressive texture of the sand, brushed stainless steel has been added, as it is almost always used in professional equipment, it was decided to reflect the professionalism in making coffee and cocktails in the interiors.This is how stainless steel appeared in furniture, walls and false ceilings. Thanks to this, an interesting, unique play of reflections has turned out. The lowering of the stainless steel ceiling creates the effect of levitation, hiding ventilation pipes and other communications. The result is a minimalistic ceiling with a minimum of sensors and lamps.

Text description: Ponomarenko Bureau