SQUAT 17b. bar
The lighting design for the bar
Miroslav and Dasha
In the center of Kyiv, there is a place where I met many friends. It’s a squat at Tereshchenska Street 17b, in the courtyard opposite Shevchenko Park. The history of this place began in 2006 when its founder, Myroslav, became fascinated with the idea of occupying abandoned buildings. He found such a building in Kyiv and moved there with his girlfriend. Gradually, apartments in the building were occupied by friends, and it became a venue for movie nights and parties.
Summer cafe
The courtyard overgrown with wild grapes became filled with theatrical decorations, benches, a roll-out lawn, and adorned walls with large-scale murals. They set up a bar counter for celebrations. In 2005, friends opened a small summer café in the courtyard and started hosting more cultural events: concerts, exhibitions, literary evenings.
Bar
At the moment, the owners have been living here officially for a long time. They have finally realized their dream of opening a cafe-bar on the ground floor of the building that can operate year-round. The friends developed the plan themselves, and renovations began at the beginning of 2021. In the spring, they approached me to help plan the lighting for the premises.
In the small space, multiple zones were planned requiring different types of lighting. Overall, the atmosphere was meant to evoke a nighttime city vibe. The bar and tables were to be illuminated with ambient light. Lighting for the gallery area of the wall, showcasing paintings and photographs, needed to be addressed. Lighting was also needed for the stage during mini-concerts and performances. Additionally, natural light from windows during the day was limited.
Drawings were needed to plan the placement and type of fixtures, select their models, and determine the brightness and color temperature of the lamps.
Concept
Among the values of the squat 17B: moderate consumption and reuse of items, decorative elements, a mix of styles and cultures. Also, a hands-on approach to design that evolves and develops throughout the life of the space.
Idea
The goal for the new space was to evoke Southeast Asia, with a hint of the atmosphere found in the night streets and corners of Hong Kong.
After three hours of gathering reference images and three sessions of collaborative room sketching, we developed a design concept. We envisioned a floor resembling a piece of street with road markings. We designed pendant lights resembling plates with dangling wires, reminiscent of the tangled wires often seen on Asian streets. Paper advertisements on the walls and neon signs completed the scene. Through rough sketches of these rooms, we were able to effectively plan the lighting fixtures that supported the overall theme.
We utilized three types of lighting: a track system with directional lights, colored neon lights (for signs and strips), and localized ambient lighting: pendant lights, wall sconces on flexible arms, and decorative pendants.
Result
In the fall, the bar was opened. Now, the establishment accommodates three times more people and operates during the winter. The interior bar continues the ambiance of an outdoor cafe both in style and lighting.
The bar counter with the red sign in Chinese that says “Long time no see” and the red paper lantern is my favorite spot here.
