Coffee break: new cafe design from Berlin to Belarus

Text by Alun Lennon
07.02.22

In our selection of cafe projects, we look at some of the numerous approaches that an architect or interior designer can take in order to keep the coffee lovers coming back…

Locally-based studio Ninetynine capitalised on a variety of the space's original elements in their Café De Parel project in Amsterdam. Photo: Ewout Huibers/Nikki Faberij de Jonge

Whether opting for the ultra-contemporary, or preferring to leverage the history and tradition of a particular space, or adopting an approach that falls somewhere in between, cafe design presents architects and interior designers with a variety of possibilities for attracting coffee lovers and keeping them contented, as our selection of new projects from across Europe shows.

01
Zerno Coffee Shop
Minsk, Belarus
Project by Studio11

The discovery of fragments of old stucco mouldings and decorated ceilings – revealed during the demolition phase of Studio11's Zerno Coffee Shop project in Minsk – encouraged the studio to alter some plans and build the interior around these small pieces of living history.

Photos: Alexandra Ovseets

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02
Aera Bakery
Berlin, Germany
Project by Gonzalez Haase Architects

For the second Berlin branch of Aera – a gluten-free bread manufacturer and café – the architecture duo Gonzalez Haase AAS has designed a space that takes full advantage of its prominent location by being impossible to overlook.

Photos: Thomas Meyer / Ostkreuz

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03
Café de Parel
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Project by Ninetynine

Originally a typical Amsterdam ‘brown bar’, traditional features such as its old-fashioned dark interior, traditional stained-glass windows and monumental tile tableaus help create the perfect setting for the new contemporary design of Café de Parel.

Photos: Ewout Huibers/Nikki Faberij de Jonge

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04
Grounds Coffee
Prague, Czech Republic
Project by KOGAA

Tucked inside an inner yard of a vibrant office and residential street in Prague, KOGAA's Grounds Coffee project takes advantage of overhead natural light, and was 80 per cent built using construction site waste from a previously dismantled project.

Photos: © Alex Shoots Buildings

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05
1900 Coffee
Kyiv, Ukraine
Project by Pinchuk+Architects

Having undergone numerous transformations over the course of more than a century, Pinchuk+Architects excavated the 1900 Coffee project space until original elements and building materials were unearthed, allowing the room to shine and 'breathe with full lungs' again.

Photos: Andrei Bezuglov

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