Gleaming spaces: Copper Head by YOD design lab

Copper Head, a restaurant and bar with its own brewed beer on the menu, is situated in the historic downtown area of Ivano-Frankivsk – a mid-sized west Ukrainian city founded by members of the Polish nobility in the 17th century. The building in which the restaurant is located was erected in the late 19th century, at a time when the city was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  Whether in Austria, Poland, Hungary or Ukraine, beer is a beverage that has always transcended borders and cultures. And now a contemporary fashion phenomenon – namely production of local and unusual beer sorts – has gained a foothold in Ukraine, despite the political upheaval and economic disruption that mark the country these days,

The micro-brewery in the basement serves, among other things, to entertain the guests by enabling them to watch production processes 'behind the scenes' at any time. To take the concept of transparency even further, the architects also opened up part of the kitchen area in which final touches are added to the food.

The design concept reflects the idea of the restaurant as a single (beer) organism. Copper piping, for example, runs like a vascular system through the bar room, branches off onto the walls and ends up above the tables in the form of focal point lamps. At the same time white ceramic balls symbolise frothy beer foam, and stylised hops plants are depicted on the perforated metallic decorations on the walls – a clear case of interior design in the service of beer culture.