BALAM CAFE
Nestled in the historic industrial district of St. Petersburg, coffee shop BALAM boasts stunning original features such as beautiful columns, vaults, and an aged brick wall with windows. Instead of altering these elements, the designers at BALAM decided to preserve them, building only gray brick walls with built-in furniture to divide the space into functional areas. The coffee counter and the windowed wall form a cohesive unit, behind which lies a space dedicated to the roasting of coffee beans. Visitors can observe this process through the windows as their espresso is prepared.
Nestled in the historic industrial district of St. Petersburg, coffee shop BALAM boasts stunning original features such as beautiful columns, vaults, and an aged brick wall with windows. Instead of altering these elements, the designers at BALAM decided to preserve them, building only gray brick walls with built-in furniture to divide the space into functional areas. The coffee counter and the windowed wall form a cohesive unit, behind which lies a space dedicated to the roasting of coffee beans. Visitors can observe this process through the windows as their espresso is prepared.
The design approach for BALAM was heavily influenced by the pop-up style, resulting in an interior that combines this aesthetic with materials traditionally used in monumental construction. The atmosphere is reminiscent of a pop-up space, yet also evokes the rough, industrial feel of brutalist architecture.
