DYLETANT
Architects: balbek bureau \ Slava Balbek, Anastasia Partyka
Project Area: 67 sq. m
Project Year: 2020
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine
Photo credits: Yevhenii Avramenko
ABOUT | CONCEPT | INTERIOR | DESIGN ELEMENTS | TEAM
ABOUT
"Dyletant" is a city cafe a few steps away from the metro station Taras Shevchenko and near the tennis courts of Podil. The owner of the establishment is a Ukrainian architect and founder of balbek bureau, Slava Balbek. In the past, the space housed the office of Vasyl Grogol's BURSAtelier.
Photo credits: dyletant
CONCEPT
The concept of the establishment is a simple and comfortable design, which combines clear forms and elements. The founder's idea was to create a cafe for friends, where one can grab lunch in 20 minutes, exchange friendly words with the barista, and go on with the day. "We wanted to create a place that would be inviting to locals with pets, people from other neighborhoods, tourists, and ordinary passers-by," says Slava Balbek.
INTERIOR
The cafe is located on the ground floor and spans an area of 67 sq. m. The space of the establishment is small, so our task was to develop an all-encompassing compact interior design. Inside there are 28 seats, and outside the summer terrace can accommodate 24 people.
From the outside, we removed the steps and placed them under the windows seating areas with metal tables. Inside, we replaced one of the doors with stained glass. At the entrance, guests are greeted by our dalmatian Snoop, whom we found at a flea market in the Netherlands.
To the left of the entrance is located a table for 4, a clothes hanger, a long bar top of a wooden beam, attached to the wall with cantilever support, and bar stools from Ukrainian manufacturer propro. The establishment consists of one hall. The main space is occupied by a large vintage table for 6, which can accommodate a large group or individual guests.
To the left, by the window, we set up a table with 4 vintage armchairs and hung above a miner's lantern.
Along the wall, we set up a solid seating area uniquely designed for the project. It is made of a metal frame and veneered plywood. Nearby are situated more tables with chairs.
Most furniture items and elements of the design are vintage. We bought some in flea markets in the Netherlands and Germany, and some in Ukraine.
The center of the hall situates a bar top, over which hang individually-designed metal shelves.
To the right of the bar, we housed the kitchen and attached to the wall a beam-shaped console table. The table can store everything you need to serve guests.
To the left of the bar is a small vestibule with a washbasin and a small round mirror.
On the left, the door leads to a restroom, the ceiling, walls, and floor of which are painted black. Inside, we placed a vintage blue metal locker in which employees can store personal belongings.
All electrical utilities run along with the ceiling in metal trays. We also decided to leave visible the ventilation boxes.
DESIGN ELEMENTS
An important accent of the interior is the large graphical piece on the wall, along the wooden bench. It was created by Kyiv artist Oleksandr Hrebenyuk.
We implemented the idea of the "Phrase of the Day". It is a metal frame placed on the wall under the ceiling, where magnetic letters can be fixed, a subwoofer and other communications attached to the back, and the frame itself covered with a fabric made of natural sound-transmitting material.
We placed various decorative elements on the walls. On one hangs a plaster figure of a cat by Alexei Zolotarev. Above the beam, we placed a vintage iron stand with the inscription “Kyiv”, found at a flea market. In the other wall, there is a small recess in which we housed a collection of porcelain dogs. A metal ladder was attached to the same one.
TEAM
