Studio 11

Zerno Coffee Shop

Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets

ZERNO COFFEE SHOP

Studio11

ARCHITECTS
Studio11

LEAD ARCHITECTS
Maksim Vavinski, Daria Studneva, Alena Azhgirei

MANUFACTURERS
Canvas AS, Eglo

PHOTOGRAPHS
Alexandra Ovseets

AREA
60 m²

YEAR
2021

LOCATION
Minsk, Belarus

CATEGORY
Coffee Shop, Coffee Shop Interiors

The design concept of Zerno overcame a change in the process of construction after the demolition works revealed fragments of old stucco moldings and decorated ceilings.

Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets

This discovery encouraged us to build the interior around these small pieces of living history in the very heart of the city. 

The coffee shop has two lighting scenarios: diffused lighting for the ceiling and spotlights for wall-mounted artifacts.

A composition of light metal trays floating at a distance from the ceiling emphasizes the ceiling décor by providing soft ambiance and creating the effect of ‘museum lighting’.

Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets

A floor-to-ceiling window allowing a maximum of lighting inside is one more advantage of the space.

The seats are designed to enframe the window on both sides without blocking it.

Furniture elements form a continuous outline and divide space into a waiting area with a bar counter and the café area itself with cozy sofas and tables, and the location of the brew bar allows any visitor to observe the coffee-making process.

Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets

The monochrome interior ensures the integrity of space and reduces visual noise without shifting any highlighted details.

Undestroyed raw walls and smooth painted veneer have very close tone colors, which gives artistic expression to the interior and makes it more resonant, whereas neutral-colored terrazzo slabs on the floor remind of the Soviet past.

Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets

As for the wall exposition of ceramic blocks brought over from Palanga (Lithuania) – it is just another evidence of the museum character of the place.


Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Zerno Coffee Shop
© Alexandra Ovseets
Studio 11
T +375 29 1801030
Studio 11
Prospekte Pobeditelei 27, Minsk, Minsk Region, Belarus