Aura Kokteiļu bārs by Kacper Gronkiewicz

Aura Kokteiļu bārs by Kacper Gronkiewicz is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Dzelzs balva A' Design Award in Interjera, tirdzniecības un izstāžu dizains Competition Category.

DzelzsInterjers· 2020

Aura Kokteiļu bārs

by Kacper Gronkiewicz

Client: Kacper Gronkiewicz

Dzelzs balva A' Design Award Winner in Interjers Category

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Colors

The Design

About Aura Kokteiļu bārs

Aura ir kokteiļu bārs, kas izvietots deviņpadsmitā gadsimta ēkas pirmajā stāvā Varšavas centrā. Interjers aizņem 25 kvadrātmetrus, un galvenā telpa ir 4,8 metrus augsta. Pulēts un matēts misiņš kontrastē ar mīkstiem, rakstainiem paklājiem, kas klāj galveno sienu. Misiņa detaļas izmantotas plauktiem, augstiem galdiem un tievām piekaramām lampām, savukārt zeltītas plāksnes rotā dzērienu bāra letes virsmu, kas balstīta uz marmora pamatnes. Grīdā izvietots caurumu komplekts, kurā ievietoti pēc pasūtījuma izgatavoti galdi trīs dažādos augstumos, tādējādi šī neliela telpa dienā var kalpot kā kafejnīca, bet vakarā - kā bārs.

The Recognition

About the Dzelzs balva A' Design Award

Aura Kokteiļu bārs ir Dzelzs balvas A' Design Award ieguvējs, prestiža atzinība, ko piešķir labiem dizainiem, kas atbilst profesionālajām un rūpnieciskajām prasībām, kādas sagaidāmas no labi izstrādātiem darbiem. Dzelzs ieguvēji parāda to radītāju lielo prasmi, augsto specializāciju, ekspertu izpratni un radošo spēju. Sagaidāms, ka Aura Kokteiļu bārs būs augsti vērtēts, apbrīnots un cienīts darbs, praktisks un inovatīvs. Šis ar Dzelzs balvu apbalvotais dizains integrē nozares labāko praksi un tam ir kompetentas tehniskās īpašības, kas saistītas ar zinātību un talantu. Aura Kokteiļu bārs tiek cienīts par rūpību un ir izstrādāts, lai uzlabotu dzīves kvalitāti un palīdzētu padarīt pasauli labāku.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Gronkiewicz contrasted polished and mat, veneered and raw brass with soft patterned carpets lining the wall. To optimise the venue's limited space a set of holes was designed in the floor for several combinations of custom made big and small tables. Bringing gold into interior, the architect installed various brass fixtures throughout the space, from the shelves to the high tables and slim lighting pendants. Golden plates are also used to top off the drinks counter, which perches on a mismatch marble base. Velvet upholstered seats and cobalt blue toilet complement the red hues of the floor and vintage barstools.
Dimensions & Packaging: Area of the premises - 25sqm, height of a main space - 4,8m. Combination of 3 small (50cm in diameter) and one large (100cm in diameter) tables are possible. The height of tables may be adjusted to high, medium and low level.
Tags: Aura, bar, cocktail, Warsaw, carpet, interior, gold, custom-made
Production Technology: Minor craft services of the area encouraged architect to use customized solutions. Arched benches were made by the craftsman next door while stone slabs cladding the bar came from a stonemason based on one of Warsaw cemeteries and are the leftovers of his commissions. Its scales cladding bar's rear wall are posed on 5 mm steel shelves - invisible yet resilient. A shabby mint green background of original nineteenth century walls was yet raised by the painter from neighbourhood. The blue walls and vaulted ceilings were finished with water resistant blue paint and instead of a wallpaper Gronkiewicz used old carpets to paste up the main wall. All this involved prototyping and none of this would be possible without local contractors.
Design Challenge: The small premises (25sqm/80sqf) implied a very careful functional layout. The bar consist of the clients' area, bartenders open and hidden working space, toilet, technical facility and a storage for beverages on the off-sight mezzanine. Designer had to adjust the set of holes in the floor according to existing 19th century layout of steel supporting beams and yet obtain ergonomic distances between fixed tables, stools and benches.
Research: Together with investors designer tried to make out how people would use the place in the daytime, evening and by night keeping in mind natural lighting conditions and the downtown location. They based on Investors curriculum from other similar places as well as the observations made in neighbourhood bar, cafe and vegan patisserie. They came up with few sets of tables dedicated to specific time of the day and provided dimmable light to transform the place from a daily cafe to a bar or even a small concert venue. Table tops not in use are hanging on the walls as decoration.
Inspiration: First inspiration came from Franz West's sofas upholstered with old carpets and exhibited in Kassel during Documenta X in 1997. This unconventional use of private second-hand objects gave a hint of cosiness to the public space. An idea appealed to the Investor who had inherited some old family carpets and this pushed architect toward Moroccan imagery - Marrakesh vibrant marketplaces and villa Majorelle Gardens. In his formal language Gronkiewicz was also largely inspired by Giorgio de Chirico paintings. The name of the bar relates to latin aurum - gold and also to a colour of bourbon based drinks served here.
Project Duration: The project was executed in Warsaw in January 2019 and rendered to public in June 2019.
Aura is set on the ground floor of a former tenement house of Jochwet Taubenhaus that was built in the 19th century in the very centre of Warsaw. It has survived German bombings during Second World War. There has been several kinds of business ran in the small corner premises on the ground level of the building since then - all left some history in the walls which Gronkiewicz wanted to evoke.
Operation Flow: Architect elaborated the unique system of tubes inserted in the floor where the custom made tables can be slotted into and set at various heights to respond to different use of the space during the day and by night. The design does not freeze the space, on the contrary, it opens it for interaction. To maximize customers space and enhance the view on the street Gronkiewicz got rid of windowsills and replaced it with upholstered benches.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Kacper Gronkiewicz
Image Credits: Photographers: Łukasz Kuś, Magda Rzeszot, 2019