Futura bistro in St. Petersburg

Architecture firm: RHIZOME

Completion year: 2019

Project location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Futura bistro occupies a former metering station at Lenpoligraphmash factory on Petrogradsky Island. The project demonstrates a new approach to the reuse of industrial heritage.

The architects behind the project were inspired by the design and atmosphere of small Danish bakeries. The Nordic elegance of the interior is expressed by the ergonomic furniture created by local studios DeloDesign and Verstak, functional lighting, and the minimalist design of the walls.

There are also vintage finds—Danish Niels Larsen chairs were brought over from Finland, and the restored cabinets standing at the entrance were found by the team at a dump during the bistro’s construction.

The architects tried to completely exclude enclosed zones—there is no wall between the kitchen and the cafe’s seating area. The bakery is the only part of the cafe which is not connected to the open area, due to limited space, but one can still take a peek at it through a narrow window.

The team has radically redesigned the original building by expanding the interior and enlarging the doors and windows which now open onto a summer terrace. Outside there is a basketball court, a beer garden, and a green area. Rooftop access is scheduled to open soon.

Graphic designer Alexey Bystrov and artist Alexey Kio designed the exterior of the cafe. The facade of the building was repainted from yellow to black and features an abstract biomorphic mural painted by Kio.