Architectural concept and artistic devices:
Fast food cafe 'Kulemet' is located in a place familiar to all Kharkov residents. Some time ago, it used to be a cult and very popular place, because there was a fast-food establishment. In this place, anyone could buy food from the machine-vendors. This feature subsequently formed the basis for the cafe name which in Russian and Ukrainian sounds as 'Automat' (submachine gun and machine-vendor at the same time). The customer’s wish was quite understandable; he wanted to preserve the cafe concept in the interior design, namely, to remain a catering facility with affordable prices. In so doing, he slightly changed the name to 'Kulemet' ('Machine gun') in Ukrainian.
The development of the concept took a little more time than it was expected. The customer wanted to order the cafe design that would be modern and a little bit brutal. It was not easy to embody such a wish of the customer, because, initially, the premises does not imply anything of the sort. The caisson ceiling and stucco work in the cafe's design are so aesthetically attractive, so there was no desire to destroy them at all. Thus, a compromise was reached in the discussions - eclecticism style with the rebellious character of the customer himself. I invented a legend according to which the room is a luxurious mansion in a classic interior design. But one fine day Nestor Makhno bursts in with his friends and makes his own adjustments to the design.
At the entrance to the cafe, the traces of the company are not so noticeable, columns, stucco molding, a crystal chandelier, carpet paths and carved doors appear before your eyes. But already here a guest encounters a portrait of Makhno himself in a gilded frame with the 'Maxim' machine gun next to him, which seems to hint at what is waiting for him further. A visitor will see a different cafe design: torn wallpapers, holes in the walls, and instead of beautiful crystal chandeliers ceiling plates in vintage style are hanging. Portraits of the owners are no longer pleasing the eyes of visitors, because revolutionary posters are hanging instead of them. The atmosphere and flags of the Makhnovists contribute to color to the atmosphere, and the ticket office is even decorated with wooden boards.
The project author: Rudnenskaya Irina
Design year: 2007
Room space: 120m2
The list of construction materials: wallpaper for painting, printed wallpaper, wooden panels, decorative bricks, mosaic, ceramic granite floor.
