After four years of operating the Washington W96 café, investors have taken the next step. In the vibrant Soho complex, a second installment of the popular café, Washington Soho, has opened. Studio Public, led by Mikołaj Wojciechowski, Maciej Granecki and Maciej Kuratczyk – the authors of the original location’s success – were invited to collaborate on the project.
The designers divided the interior into two distinct zones, which, although contrasting, form a harmonious whole. In the first, almost mysterious one, the kitchen with its facilities is hidden behind an impressive veneered wall. Already from the entrance, the sales shelf with its shelves made of bent sheet metal, which flows seamlessly into a rectangular ordering window, draws attention. The geometrically broken finial of the window is found in the reflection of the symmetrical preview opening onto the kitchen. Further along the line of the elegant tall door to the backroom and toilet, a steel handle aligned with the stone countertops of the serving area is incorporated. The whole is crowned by a mirror reproducing the earlier geometric puzzle motif, and the long wall is enlivened by a checkered fabric that fills the space up to the ceiling. The precise fitting of all levels was carried out by the Warsaw-based company Różne Rzeczy.
The second part of the premises – the space for guests – is a real festival of colours and forms. From the long sofa next to the shop window, under which the designer’s lanterns have been suspended, to the belt of green tables in the centre of the room, to the expressive tile patterns on the floor, each element brings a non-obvious joy to the interior. Studio Public continues the idea of collaborating with creatives, this time inviting Australian graphic designer Sarah Mari Shaboyan. Based on design sketches, she has produced a colourful graphic whose playful references to the name Washington and the distinctive details of the space add an authentic charm to the space.
Customers, accustomed to the weekend breakfast queues at W96, will find the same recognisable menu items here – from breakfasts positioning Washington on the gastronomic map of Warsaw. Coffee from the Chłopaki roastery, founded by the owners, is complemented by original pastries made by Michał Kosowski, one of the partners also responsible for the culinary side of Washington and the friendly Krawiec’s Wife.
Washington Soho proves that modern design and thoughtful aesthetics can go hand in hand with the uncompromising quality of the food and drinks served. By combining the architectural conceptuality of the Public studio, the artistic imagination of Sarah Mari Shaboyan and a proven culinary offering, the new café is among the must-visit places during Prague strolls. Enjoy your coffee!
design: Pracownia Projektowania Wnętrz SOJKA&WOJCIECHOWSKI
photography: Maja Bułkowska
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