Literary cafe Cabinet

Designers: Arsen Kostyshyn, Kate Lytsjyk , Kyrylo Nikitenko

Architect: Oles` Tseljykh

Location: Lviv, Ukraine

Year: 2016

Photographer: Andriy Avdeenko

After a bustling year during which the designers of Arsen Kostyshyn’s studio ARSIDEA had been working untiringly, a Reading Room Cafe CABINET was given a new lease of life. It is located in the historical part of the city in 12 Vynnychenko Street. Historically here was located a newspaper editorial office «Narodna Chasopys», in the 1930s there was located an educational publishing house «Ksionzhnitsa-Atlas», and in the times of Soviet Union, there was a branch of «Radianska shkola» publishing house. Actually, it was not difficult to select a theme of the establishment, as long as the building «was transfused» with a spirit of new and old books. In the days of independence, there was opened here a famous cafe called «At Yurii Kulchytskyi‘s»in honour of the native of Lviv region, who was one of the first in Europe to implement a tradition to drink coffee. In 2006 the cafe was closed. Later on, there was opened a coffee house loved by all the inhabitants of Lviv called «Cabinet». In 2015 it was closed for reconstruction, as a result of which it area increased from 140 to 215 sq.m. By joint efforts of the architects, constructors and designers there was managed to lower the level of cellars and in the main dining area, there appeared an entresol and three separate rooms. The number of seats have increased to 94.

The renewed establishment is distinguished not only by outstanding design but also by modern kitchen fitments that not many establishments of such level are able to boast of. A reading room cafe CABINET should be a number 1 confectionary in Lviv.

Just as in a real cabinet, the designers prepared a lot of surprises – one of which is a hidden room. One should be an extremely quick-witted to find it among a big number of books.

A Reading Room Cafe really justifies its name, because here books are everywhere – all the shelves and niches are full of different publications, walls are decorated with illustrations taken from books, even stair risers are in the form of book covers. The visitors will have an opportunity not only to read the books in a cafe but also to borrow the books and take the books they like with them.

«God in the things», the motto of the design studio ARSIDEA is urgent here as never before: the inferior is full of different details: cage lamps, books, candleholders, paintings on concrete industrial ceiling and wallpapers, all these create an atmosphere of a real eclectic library.

It is worth mentioning that everything but for the lamps was made by Ukrainian manufacturers: furniture, forged elements, decorative components. We may affirm that this is a real Ukrainian product.

In general, the mood that has been created should resemble the times of the end of the XIX and the beginning of XX centuries. It was the time when Lviv became the fifth in size city оf Austria-Hungary after Vienna, Budapest, Trieste, and Prague.

Entering a big hall one may see an authentic piano by Koch & Korselt made in 1900, which was restored and tuned. One it has also been given a new lease of life. The atmosphere of the establishment is favourable both for the meetings and for work, that is why this establishment will probably become a gathering place for artistic intelligentsia, where the visitors will not only have an opportunity to drink a delicious aromatic Lviv coffee but also to spend a business meeting in a beautiful romantic environment or time with beloved or friends. In such a way the designers of ARSIDEA have united the idea of Kulchytskyi’s cafe Cabinet and a history of our city, creating one more interesting establishment fort he inhabitants of Lviv and its guests.