SPICY CHIAROSCURO || This Contemporary Gallery and Tea Bar in Moscow is Inspired by Moroccan Landscapes
Recently, instead of frequenting cafes, we’ve grown fond of tea bars dedicated to the ancient craft of tea-making.
One such bar is nestled in the modern residential quarter of Moscow by Vodniy Stadion (meaning ‘Water Stadium’) underground station. Vodniy Tea Bar is located on the ground floor of a high-rise residential tower and the space features tall windows and four entrances off the street. The owners wanted the space to transform the process of creating and consuming herbal drinks into a fleeting moment of enjoyment and exploration of taste.
Guests can enjoy an eclectic tea experience in this high ceiling space.
From certain viewing positions architectural compositions create the effect of perspective depth, attracting the eye of the observer to the very core of the “old city”.
Fresh off a trip to the Sahara Desert in Morocco, where the sculptural flow of the natural landscape blends together the ochre walls of buildings with burnt rock surfaces and sand dunes, the design team’s concept for Vodniy Tea Bar is inspired by the multiple layers of this mysterious land to create a “city within a city”, an internal labyrinth oriented around the city center, the Medina. The round openings, high arched portals and elements are inspired by the outlines of the legendary tower house belonging to the Catalan artist Javier Corbero and are utilized throughout to establish architectural depth. From outside, passersby could orient their view in a way that gives them a line of sight of the core of the ‘old city’.
The round openings aligned along the same axis create architectural depth.
The impeccable terracotta tone of the plaster is suggestive of the coastal wild beaches near Mirleft, with their cliffs ranging from Martian red to wet sand colour.
To create a space that would be multi-faceted, the team decided to lay out the interior so it could be used for art exhibitions in addition to the tea bar experience. These two rooms could be used for tea tasting, where guests could enjoy more privacy while not being totally excluded from the street views and sunlight with the help of the round openings in the walls. The round openings are intentionally aligned on the same axis so the gallery could be observed even from the street.
The fluid, flowing shapes of the furniture hints at the ever-changing shapes and forms of the Sahara Desert.
Much like how the desert is scorching hot during the day and mercilessly cold at night, Spicy Chiaroscuro transforms throughout the day; a generous amount of sunlight streams in from the tall windows casting magical shadows during the day, but as the sun sets, the tea bar is shrouded in shadow by the arches, turning into a network of passages that hide mysterious silhouettes.
The arches above shroud the space in shadow once night settles in.
Sunlight streaming in from the windows create high contrast, playful shadows that transform the interiors each day.
The walls, the ceiling, the utilities and furniture are united in one shade that reveals the interior as one single natural landscape.
PROJECT DETAILS
Interior Design: Atelier Prototipi
Architects: Eugene Cherkas, Aleksey Klimov, Minsk-Belarus
Client: Vodniy Tea Bar
Location: 7 Golovinskoe highway, Moscow
Total area: 165 sq.m.
Photography: Alexandra Kononchenko
Artist: Vadik Fin
Year: 2021