Kro Coffee

In 2019, we completed the bistro Kro Kitchen in Prague's Jiřího z Poděbrad Square. The establishment quickly became very successful, and its popularity led, among other things, to the creation of its own bakery in Vršovice. Therefore, when a year later a space immediately next to the original Kro became available, the owners were able to approach us about designing a café that would sell not only excellent coffee but also its own baked goods.

Given the character of the location and the café as a type, we chose a solid, more conservative approach represented by a multifunctional monolith made of artificial stone, of course in a completely contemporary spirit. At the same time, in all respects, it was desirable to work with a principled connection between both businesses of the same brand. A fundamental theme, therefore, was to find a balance between the uniqueness of the café and its connection to the original bistro in the neighboring building. The iconic lightning bolt now passes through both buildings, but changes its form into a recessed light fixture and its energy calms in the café by straightening out and eventually symbolically concluding with a round fixture – a dot. The radical material cut of the bistro has here been deradicalized into a delicate line between stucco and linoleum transitioning into the cladding in the hygienic area. Another unifying element, in addition to the use of plywood, the same type of chairs, and high seating at the entrance, is the collaboration with graphic designer Marek Fanta and artist David Černý aka Honey.

The layout defined by two compact blocks offers three different seating characters, ample space for purchasing at the counter, and especially sufficient variability of space, which proved efficient even during operation limited by pandemic measures. Both blocks combine multiple functions and serve both attendants and customers. Informal connection to the exterior in the warmer months is facilitated by an extendable storefront. Thanks to the reconstruction of the space, the original stone floor was revealed, a suspicious ATM was deinstalled, and a gargantuan advertising surface was removed from the stone façade.

Material-wise and spatially, a seamless main counter made of artificial stone dominates, which is complemented around the edges by a line of birch plywood. Stone for work, wood for guests. The materiality of the surfaces and the work with their textures create a subtle background for life in the café. The white-on-white combination of linoleum and classic stucco transitions into an acoustic ceiling with an embedded lightning bolt. Unobtrusive but all the more significant is the use of linoleum – this plastic, washable coating known from corridors is typically removed, but here, on the contrary, a custom-made linoleum has been successfully created and used, the pattern of which is based on a laid-out sketch of a rooster's head by David Černý. This material, somewhat despised in its way, is very functional and simultaneously used as avant-garde decoration.