Milk bars appeared in the 19th century, gained popularity before the war, and became a real phenomenon during the communist era. Their unique atmosphere was created by cheap meals, local clientele and distinctive decor - often a testimony to a bygone era. Is it possible to open a milk bar today that will retain this nostalgic charm? This art succeeded in the SOJKA WOJCIECHOWSKI studio, which , floating in the second circuit and using local services, decorated the interior of the "Grazyny 1" milk bar in Mokotow.
There is a growing realization that the use of second-hand materials in architecture will soon become a necessity. However, widespread circular construction, although necessary, still seems to be a song of the future - beliefs, costs and technological challenges stand in the way of widespread building in the spirit of re-use. Things are quite different in the case of interiors. When designing them, strength certificates are not mandatory, and used furnishings can be much cheaper compared to store-bought ones. Sometimes they are even free! It is in this spirit that the interiors of the new "Grazyny 1" Milk Bar on Pulawska Street in Mokotow were created. What has been brought back to life?
Milk Bar "Grażyny 1" in Warsaw
photo: Maja Bułkowska
A new milk bar in Warsaw
The "Grażyny 1" milk bar is located in a pre-war building on Pulawska Street, not far from Emil Wedel's famous tenement house. The ground floor, clad with ceramic tiles before the war - now plastered - is pierced with large glass windows. It is behind them that the interior of the new spot on the gastronomic map of the capital is located.
The project involved clearing the existing space of the premises (where a shoe store was located until now) down to the bare brick and trying to expose its original fabric. This turned out to be a hit right from the start. Under the ugly market tiles laid probably in the 1990s, a beautiful, pre-war, black-and-white mosaic appeared, which was practically undamaged and only in a few places required restoration. The uncovered, raw brick walls of the pre-war building were only impregnated so as to enhance their vivid color.
- We read in the description of the realization.
The designers of the Public studio - which has become a new branch of the Konrad Sojka and Mikolaj Wojciechowski studio - took full advantage of the opportunities given to them by the location of the "Grażyna 1" bar. Although all the qualities of the premises were exposed, the interior still remained empty. It was in this part of the realization that the spirit of the re-use ideology in which "Grażyna" was arranged was most strongly revealed.
"Grażyny 1" milk bar in Warsaw
photo: Maja Bułkowska
olx milk bar
Practically all elements of the interior design have gained their second life in "Grażyny 1". As we learn from the description of the realization, the walls in the kitchen and bathroom were lined with tiles from the 1980s and 1990s, purchased on OLX. Similarly obtained tiles were also used to create... tables. You can sit at them on refurbished chairs and sofas constructed especially for this interior.
Sofas from caps, recycled lamps....
No worries, however, they were not created from new raw materials - the supports were made from special furniture boards, produced from the material of the Polish company Boomplastic, which processes PET bottle caps into furniture elements. The whole thing was upholstered with recycled fabric, supplied by Dekoma. What smells new in the "Grazyna" bar is also not part of the traditional consumer circuit:
[...] the technical lighting comes from Aqform. These are lamps that have been discontinued from sale (hence their different colors), and by using them in the project they have been saved from disposal.
"Grazyny 1" milk bar in Warsaw
photo: Maja Bułkowska
...And a chandelier made of fused glass!
It is said that lamps are jewelry for interiors. This statement is fully justified in the case of the "Grazyny 1" milk bar, where they are the most spectacular element of the decor. The unique lighting was custom-made according to the architects' design. Three massive chandeliers, made of chains, steel hoops, and luxe glass (also from olx!) fill the void above the heads of people visiting the new milk bar in Warsaw.
The "Grazyny 1" milk bar in Warsaw
photo: Maja Bułkowska
real interior, real people
Although it is part of a larger chain, the "Grazyny 1" milk bar has an interior whose decor is not from mass production. It is also a place that was created thanks to small creators and Polish companies - there is no furniture purchased from Ikea or any other large manufacturer. The chairs were provided by Krześlarz, that is, Mateusz Frankowski, who works in Warsaw, the luxuriant lamps were made by the Konstancja-based workshop Różne Rzeczy, while the technical lighting was provided by Polish manufacturer AQForm.
"Grazyny 1" milk bar in Warsaw
photo: Maja Bułkowska
Another element that made the new milk bar in Mokotow turn out to be deeply immersed in "Warsaw" is the "Grażyny 1" logotype, located on one of the walls in the interior of the premises. Although its form strongly alludes to communist typography, its creator is firmly rooted in the visual story of Warsaw in the 1990s. It is about the famous graffiti artist, appearing under the pseudonym "Cosmo" and then "Easy". The first "oranges," or wagons marked with his throw-ins, passed through the capitals as early as 1996. Today, Easy's op-art po(d)writings can be seen not only on walls, but also in exhibitions at the Wilanów Poster Museum or the Palace of Culture and Science.
In addition to designing the Bar's new atmospheric logo, Easy proposed a huge installation made of... used cookbooks. It was an element that perfectly complemented the project.
"Grazyny 1" milk bar in Warsaw
Photo: Maja Bułkowska
It seems - although unplanned - to be the main accent of the interior of the bar at the intersection of Pulawska and Grazyna streets in Warsaw. As in places covered with tags, stickers or signatures from holiday trips, the six-meter wall of the Grazyna 1 milk bar has gained texture, additional function and, thanks to fluttering cards, life. Will their rustling be drowned out by customers' conversations?
