Coffee Place By Day, Restaurant By Night – At Bujole In Cluj
It was difficult to choose whether this space should be a restaurant, a bar or a coffee place and instead of picking only one of the options the client in collaboration with the architect decided that they can have all three. The challenge that remained was the fact the interior was pretty small and could only accommodate around 35 people at a time. They dealt with this issue in a very creative way.
The space serves as a coffee place during the day and as a restaurant and cocktail bar during the evening. The transformation takes place at around 6 pm every day. This was an ingenious solution found by architect Cosmin Todor who designed the interior of the Bujole restaurant. You can find this place in the center of Cluj in Romania.
The main idea here was to create a friendly and inviting atmosphere where people could feel at home. Actually, the architect took things a bit further and made the interior look like someone’s home, with comfortable sofas, upholstered chairs and wooden parquet floors. He even replaced the usual counter with something a bit more familiar: a kitchen island.
The island serves as a bar and is surrounded by black and white patterned tiles that create this vintage decor that complements the turquoise, velvet-upholstered chairs and the wooden tables. The homey atmosphere is also highlighted by a variety of other elements, including the exposed brick accent walls or the fact that the furniture has this worn and vintage look that gives it a lot of character.
The bar is complemented by a series of quirky stools with cork seats and metal frames. They look like giant champagne corks and they let guests sits at the bar and enjoy a special experience whether they wish to eat, have a cup of coffee or enjoy a cocktail.
To make the space feel larger, the architect also decorated the walls with large mirrors. The high ceiling helps with that as well and all its exposed pipes and tubes give the space a strong industrial vibe.
As the transformation begins, the pendant lights are turned off and the space becomes illuminated by the ceiling LED lights. The espresso machine that used to sit on the island is packed and stored to make room for the cocktail utensils and the waiters change their outfits too.
Bujole is the high-end segment of the Marty restaurant chain. It’s famous for its open and friendly character and also the selective array of coffee types and wines that the guests can choose from.
Pictures by Lucian Mandru and PMFurniture.