Spanish studio Plantea Estudio has completed a cafe and bakery inside an early 20th-century building in Madrid, contrasting the original dark tones of the interior with modern steel surfaces.
Taking over a former gem store on a busy street in the Justicia district, the Acid cafe and bakeshop was designed to provide a place for quiet conversation away from the bustle of the city.
The Acid Cafe and Bakeshop provides an intimate space away from the busy street
It occupies the ground floor of a turn-of-the-century building, which is rich with historic details such as a deep storefront made from wood and green marble, with curved windows on either side of the entrance.
Plantea Estudio sought to retain the original character of the space by restoring elements including the facade and the internal wood shelving and windows, as well as a decorative plaster frieze above the new serving area. Reflective steel contrasts with the space's existing dark-toned interior
Minimal architectural interventions and a carefully chosen material palette help to define Acid's interior ambience while supporting the new function of the space.
"We completed and adapted what was there and added the rest to match this same character ? or to contrast as an opposition that enhances it," Plantea Estudio architectural designer Carla Morán told Dezeen.
"Old and new, figurative and abstract, colour and shadow, rough and soft, matt and satin, all in the same space as different sides of the same ...