Balance Coffee | Cafe
cafe | 110 sq.m.
Architects: Arianna Mikaya, Iva Lugovaya, Alexandra Kabashnaya, Karina Krezhenevskaya, Alyona Minaeva
Photo: Dmitrii Suvorov
Balance Coffee is a popular café chain that quickly gained recognition and became an influential brand in its region. The third location, designed by the KIDZ team, is housed in a historic brick building that once served as a traditional workshop.
To connect these contrasting stories, we explored the themes of craftsmanship, weaponry, and Caucasian culture—its customs and traditions—leaving traces of the building’s past in every interior detail.
axonometry
The concept is built around four key principles:
Place — the site and its story,
Product — daggers, sabers, and accessories,
Process — materials and detailing that reflect the making of these items,
Culture — inspiration from the traditions and lifestyle of the region’s people.
It was essential to maintain a balance between the everyday feel of the brand and unique storytelling elements. This was achieved by combining the familiar and the unexpected in equal measure.
The interior features natural wooden tones and preserved historic brickwork with its original irregular masonry. In areas where the structure was damaged, partial patching was used to highlight the texture of the openings, while the ceiling—made of deck planks—was coated with clear varnish.
One of the key ideas was the creation of an indoor “courtyard” that mimics a traditional Southern Caucasian yard. This space features rough cobblestone, gravel, outdoor-style furniture, decorative finishes, and tall trees, creating the illusion of being outdoors.
To bring the workshop concept to life, we focused on tactile, expressive details. A plywood frieze with metal inlays at the entrance evokes handcraft and functional furniture. A multifaceted communal table symbolizes a frozen moment in the design process, and custom-designed chairs with pewter accents reinforce the handcrafted theme. The composition is completed by a black coffee table reminiscent of charred wood and a suspended merch display crafted by hand.
The idea of “process” is embedded in every detail. A standout feature is the panel with a Damascus steel pattern near the restrooms. Its swirling design references this famously durable and decorative metal. Adjacent to it is a cozy lounge area where soft seating pairs with metal-framed supports that evoke molten metal. Locally crafted chairs pay homage to regional artisan traditions.
Special attention was given to the details inspired by traditional leather sheaths for daggers and sabers—embossed, adorned, and riveted. This influence appears in the form of a classic tan leather sofa and cantilever chairs with tufting. Further reflecting the workshop idea, the legs of the café’s standard chairs are left in raw, unfinished metal.
Warm-gradient lightboxes, found above the bar, in the restrooms, and in decorative insets, symbolize molten metal in its glowing phase.
Cultural identity is echoed in arched elements reminiscent of mountain architecture and dagger blades, as well as in the embroidered Ossetian motif on the sofa, serving as a symbolic talisman.
The project is composed mostly of custom elements—furniture, lighting structures, glass inserts, and a stainless-steel sink—all handcrafted to enhance the sense of an authentic workshop.
↓ project team
