The space is located on the second floor of an office building with no signage, and can only be accessed after booking. Such closedness causes anticipation of special emotions.
Project Name: Experimental bar
Studio Name: Kvadrat architects
Area: 1431 sf
Year of realization: 2023
Masters of image style: Rustam Minnekhanov, Sergey Bekmukhanbetov
Text: Ekaterina Parichuk
Photos: Gleb Kramchaninov
The design was created based on the palette of feelings and tastes that Temple guests should experience. There is no menu or appetizers, everything is focused on cocktails. They are prepared after a conversation with each visitor in the laboratory. The interior fully reflects the philosophy of the institution.
“The idea of the project is hidden in the details, in the sensations. Penetrating the interior you can easily see the whole picture. The absence of a clear technical task was expected: we knew the owners of the establishment well, the level of their art of mixology and were ready to realize their dream. We got into the product, studied potential guests and their emotional expectations,” – explain Sergey Bekmukhanbetov and Rustam Minnehanov, designers and owners of Kvadrat architects.
Each element of the interior holds a story. Artistic divots and square pattern on the concrete base are the legacy of the office flooring. The designers brought vintage bronze frames from the Dry Bridge flea market in Tbilisi. The deep shades and openwork details of the chairs are from an old estate in Almaty. Chippendale style is easy to read, especially after careful restoration of the furniture. The focal point of the central area is the tree root above the bar, shrouded in chains and greenery. It’s a symbolic item that the founders brought back from their hometown of Petropavlovsk. A reminder of the connection to the past for mental harmony and resilience in the present.
The soft light of candles on each table serves not only to create an atmosphere of mystery and relaxation, but also zonizes the space, endows it with volume, softens straight lines and angles.
Items of decoration and furniture, which have not yet acquired a historical background, have been organically aged. The wood for the bar, cabinet and table was kilned and brushed to enhance the charm and refined simplicity of the natural material. Natural tanned leather was chosen for the upholstery of the armchairs and poufs. The pattern and the spirit of time will be applied to it by life itself.
“The interior is gradually taking on decor, meanings, aesthetic signs of life. Visually and tactilely, the character of the space can be read already now, but its nuances will reveal themselves more strongly with time, like wine, which reveals its bouquet when aged and becomes more valuable,” – emphasize Sergey Bekmukhanbetov and Rustam Minnehanov, CEO of Kvadrat architects studio.
