Rose-Mary Cafe Kyiv

The 120-years-old building belongs to the knitting factory n.a. Rosa Luxemburg, as it was called in the Soviet times, or just “Rose”, as it is today. The city cafe Rose-Mary was called so in memory of the legendary factory and also because of rosemary – a favourite seasoning in Neapolitan pizza recipes – basis of the menu. As a conceptual symbolic element rosemary can be found in tables decoration and beverages – tea, lemonade and cocktails.

The project’s main idea was responsible transformation of the old industrial building to a modern city cafe with accurate preservation of its authenticity and within a small budget. To create a space with a seasonal menu and special zoning, where the social ties restore.

The “Rose-Mary Cafe” is a continuance of the special collaboration of Yova Yager, a chief designer and the founder of YOVA YAGER hospitality design studio and a customer, an owner of the “Alltrueeast” and other Ukrainian restaurants, Anna Andriienko.

Project team was inspired by various works around the world, where designers restore old factory premises and give them a chance of a second life. So that it was decided to leave the original ceiling and walls, keep the tiles on the columns, and reconstruct the old window glass blocks.

To get the feeling of naturalness there are used wooden materials and textured various shades of terracotta from burnt clay to the color of blood and wine. The greenery of living plants places throughout the space refreshes and softens herbaceous and mustard shades of complex red on the walls, furniture and decorative elements.

In her desire to realize “the less is more” principle, Yova Yager proposed a minimum of decorations, using only living flowers, oxygenating the cafe, and neon graffities. The walls are partly tiled with plastic lids recycled by the only local manufacturer.

The room is 7 meters height and has large windows throughout the entire space. It gives a lot of daylight, which is a huge advantage. RGB LED strips with a smart control system have been used to save energy and create a party atmosphere. Cylindrical lamps in the center of the first floor room are made from used fluorescent lamps. Standing lamps with paper lampshades are made from old patterns of the “Rosa” factory and are mixed with pots with green plants.

The cafe offers four main zones: a common room with varied seatings, an open bar-kitchen, a meeting & play zone under the balcony and the balcony for getting a private atmosphere. Pizza is prepared in the contact bar area, where you can watch the whole process with a glass of in-house rosemary aperol spritz.

In all details from the concept to decorations and interior this project demonstrates the main principle of the YOVA YAGER hospitality design studio – first rethink, then design. This is an example of a meaningful approach in modern design, where an old, but significant industrial facility in poor condition is transformed into a useful for the city place with its own spirit.

Design: YOVA YAGER hospitality design
Photography: Sergiy Polushko