PUNKRAFT is a craft beer bar just around the corner of a historic pedestrian street in Podol, the Kyiv downtown. This basement spot, packed with craft beer fans these days, used to host a cocktail bar. Our task was to change the schematic layout of the premises, keeping its kitchen and toilet facilities location, to equip cold room for beer kegs storage and completely redesign the interior including the entrance and guest zones. Stylistically we inspired by the industrial aesthetics of beer equipment and the philosophy of the craft brewing movement itself such as freedom, punk, experiments and custom production.

This concept pushed us to use materials such as stainless steel, cold rolled metal, concrete and neon light to create a special rebellious atmosphere in the bar area. Softer and tactile materials have been used in the main guests’ areas to provide comfort and a more chamber atmosphere. This was achieved by using oak wood, textile upholstery of sofas and seats and warm muted light. In addition, we have retained the original historical building brick arches only slightly restored and protecting masonry in these halls.

We decided to divide the given space into three zones: the bar, communal and quiet ones. The showstopping core of the bar zone is a 3.5-meter-long 24 tap custom draft beer tower connected with the cooling chamber. It allows keeping a constant rotation of assorted craft beers on tap at all times. The ceiling above the bar zone is made up of metal arched segments as a reference to the brick vaults of neighboring halls.

The menu behind the bar is assembled according to the principle of the construction kit. Into the cold-rolled metal channels are inserted the oak bars with the name of a beer, its style, alcoholicity, the percentage of bitterness and cost. The bartenders apply these inscriptions by hand (painting through the stencils) every day, which allows giving the menu a brutal “old” look. Also in this zone placed two vintage arcade machines with a variety of iconic games (Pacman, Space Invaders, Street Fighter and others). A special pride of the owners is the pinball “Popeye saves the earth”, produced in 1994 and brought from the USA.

All the walls of the hall near the toilets have been decorated with a pattern of street tags in which various words from the craft beer lexicon were encrypted. This feature is really liked by visitors, standing in line at a toilet on Friday night, when the bar is packed to overflowing. The two aisles of the communal zone were specially designed to host large companies enjoying the broadcast of some important sports events, Mortal Kombat, FIFA tournaments and etc. It was therefore decided to emphasize the arch lines with arched screens and placed 4.5-meter-long oak tables. The quiet room furnished with cozy sofas invites for more peaceful and relaxed socializing. The main decorative element here is a niche hand-painted by Alexander Grebenyuk, a renowned Ukrainian street artist.