Aura Ile Ìtajà Ọtí Amupara by Kacper Gronkiewicz is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award in Àpẹẹrẹ Àyà Inú Ilé àti Ibi Àfihàn Competition Category.
IrinInú Ilé· 2020
Aura Ile Ìtajà Ọtí Amupara
Client: Kacper Gronkiewicz
Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award Winner in Inú Ilé Category
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The Design
About Aura Ile Ìtajà Ọtí Amupara
Aura jẹ́ ilé ìtajà ọtí amupara tí ó wà ní ilẹ̀ ìsàlẹ̀ ilé kan tí wọ́n kọ́ ní ọ̀rúndún kọkàndínlógún ní àárín gbùngbùn ìlú Warsaw. Ojú-ilẹ̀ inú rẹ̀ bo mítà square mẹ́rìnlélógún ó lé márùn-ún, tí ó sì ní gíga mítà mẹ́rin ó lé ìdá mẹ́jọ nínú mẹ́wàá ní àyè àkọ́kọ́. A fi idẹ dídán àti idẹ aláìdán ṣe àfiwé pẹ̀lú kápẹ́ẹ̀tì rírọ̀ tí a ṣe lọ́ṣọ̀ọ́ tí ó bo ògiri àkọ́kọ́. A lo ohun-èlò idẹ fún àwọn pẹpẹ, tábìlì gíga àti fìtílà ìdálẹ̀ tín-ínrín, àwọn àwo wúrà sì bo orí tábìlì ìtajà ohun mímu, tí ó sinmi lé orí ìpìlẹ̀ marble. Ẹgbẹ́ ihò kan lórí ilẹ̀ ni ó dì àwọn tábìlì tí a ṣe pàtàkì ní gíga mẹ́ta mú, tí ó jẹ́ kí ilé kékeré náà lè ṣiṣẹ́ gẹ́gẹ́ bí kafe ní ọ̀sán àti gẹ́gẹ́ bí báà ní alẹ́.
The Recognition
About the Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award
Aura Ile Ìtajà Ọtí Amupara jẹ́ olùborí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award, ìdánimọ̀ olókìkí tí a fún àwọn àwòṣe tó dára tí wọ́n pàdé àwọn ohun tí iṣẹ́ àti ilé-iṣẹ́ nílò tí a retí láti ọ̀dọ̀ àwọn ẹ̀dá tí a ṣàwòṣe dáradára. Àwọn olùborí Irin ń fi ìjáfáfá ńlá, ìmọ̀ pàtó gíga, òye ògbóǹtarìgì àti agbára ìṣẹ̀dá àwọn olùṣẹ̀dá wọn hàn. A retí pé Aura Ile Ìtajà Ọtí Amupara yóò jẹ́ ẹ̀dá tí a kà sí gidigidi, tí a gbóríyìn fún tí a sì nífẹ̀ẹ́, tó wúlò tó sì ní ìmúṣẹ̀dá tuntun. Àwòṣe tó borí Àmì-ẹ̀yẹ Irin A' Design Award yìí ń kó àwọn ọ̀nà tó dára jùlọ ilé-iṣẹ́ jọ, ó sì ní àwọn ànímọ́ ìmọ̀-ẹ̀rọ tó péye tí a so mọ́ ìmọ̀ ṣíṣe àti ẹ̀bùn. A bọ̀wọ̀ fún Aura Ile Ìtajà Ọtí Amupara nítorí ìfọ̀kànbalẹ̀ rẹ̀, a sì ṣàwòṣe rẹ̀ láti pèsè ìmúdára ìgbésí ayé tó ń ran ayé lọ́wọ́ láti di ibi tó dára jù.
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
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