A Monochromatic Pastry Shop Takes Inspiration From Its Ingredients

A sleek pastry shop renovation in Lviv, Ukraine, immerses its guests in the ingredients making up its confectionary delights. Designed by Kyiv-based Yod Group, Cukiernia is a monochromatic, three-volume space brought to life with a warm brown marble and an unconventionally formulated plaster.

Since the shop was founded in 2000, the space, occupying the first floor of a historic building in central Lviv, was due for a refresh. The designers wanted to make sure the renovation went beyond a coat of paint, instead bringing new life to the entire brand and launching it into its next quarter century with enthusiasm and momentum while maintaining the core of what has made it popular through the years. “We aimed not just to update the space of the iconic pastry shop but also to give it a fresh interpretation,” says Volodymyr Nepiyvoda, founder of Yod Group.

The design team focused on two materials throughout the space to allow focus on the nuances of the marble and plaster and to create a warm and contemporary environment in which to enjoy Cukiernia’s pastries.

Creamy light Italian marble, with warm brown veining that nods to the caramel or cream in cakes, clads the floors and countertops making for an opulent base to the rest of the design. To add a textural contrast to the smooth marble, the walls are covered in a plaster created especially for the project made of eggshells—eggs are a key ingredient in many of the bakery’s goods. More than a ton of shells donated by a Ukranian poultry farm were cleaned and crushed then mixed with a glue base. But wanting to add a bit more warmth to the white eggshells, the designers added 200 kilograms of brown shells sourced from Cukiernia confectioners. The process was laborious and required a lot of trial and error to figure out the right size, formula, and application process but ultimately added a unique and meaningful element to the interiors. The plaster and marble that dominate the space are accented by light-wood furniture and noble brass hardware.

Cukiernia is made up of three spaces connected through arched doorways. In the first, where guests enter, a multitiered display case filled with tantalizing baked goods and an elegant round wooden staircase immediately catch the eye. The second hall features a small bar wrapped in wood canes and paired with modern chairs by the Ukrainian brand Woo. The third and largest space has a variety of seating options, like smaller tables and a longer communal one, pendants lamps by the Spanish brand Aromas del Campo, and arched window niches to let in more light to the back room.

The Yod Group team also added a few antique pieces to tie into the historic building, including tables and a large cabinet from the venue owner’s private collection. Restored bentwood chairs were painted partially white, like a cookie’s icing.

“We wanted to disassemble the Cukiernia brand and reassemble it, reinforcing its quality and nobility with new visual manifestations,” Nepiyvoda says. “That is how we came to laconicism, monomaterials, and eggshell bio-plaster. The result is an airy and emotionally comfortable interior that does not distract attention from the main product—the legendary Lviv pastries.”

Photographs by Yevhenii Avramenko.

SHARE