A café and bookstore is a dream combination for many. Kahawa - a cafe, reading room, bookstore and coffee roaster in one - has been established in a Poznan premises that formerly housed a milk bar! The idea to create a place that would attract both book lovers and coffee lovers came from a combination of professional passions and the owners' exotic African childhood memories.
the premises before and after reconstruction
© Atelier Starzak Strebicki
The interior of the cafe and bookstore at 10 Cyryl Ratajski Square in Poznań was designed by architects from Atelier Starzak Strebicki. The premises have been divided into three zones, which clearly define the various functions. The first is the main space housing a bar, café and auditorium with a bookstore. The bright room with a high concrete ceiling is finished with a wooden structure of steps that serve as seats and a bookcase filled with books. In the café area, one can sit at the long wooden windowsill under the window or at low tables in comfortable restored 366 armchairs designed by Jozef Chierowski.
axonometry
© Atelier Starzak Strebicki
The second zone, located deeper into the premises, is a space where a large communal table with upholstered chairs has been set up. This place is not only to invite feasting, but also to joint activities during the workshops organized here.
The transition to this part is also felt underfoot - the original terrazzo (only patched with new elements in places) defining the frontal zone, gives way here to the original teak floor (similarly - only where necessary, supplemented with new ash planks), the project's authors write.
left: zone one in the foreground, zone two in the background; right: the glass wall between zone two and zone three
Photo: Mateusz Bieniaszczyk
The third and final zone is located behind a glass wall, so that while sitting at a table, one can preview the process of roasting and packaging coffee. The background for the black stove is made up of white walls, partially revealing the bricks.
This tendency to uncover original layers and textures, preserving what is most beautiful in the interesting geometry of the walls and floors was the general logic of the project. Sparing, unobtrusive colors, natural materials and plenty of light all provide a frame in which truly vibrant colors appear along with plants in pots, books and their coffee table readers, the architects from Atelier Starzak Strebicki add.
