Although originally a seasoned barista, Ignacio Gallo has a developed keen sense of hospitality, and set up a number of popular coffee parlours across downtown Montevideo with business partner MVD Roasters. His latest venture is in Ciudad Vieja, the oldest and arguably most scenic part of the Uruguayan capital, and once again is a place where to savour various concoctions of black gold. The newly opened Culto café occupies a lofty 63 sqm. (678 sq.ft.) ground floor unit of a 1930s building with an ornately decorated façade. Gallo once again tapped architect Jeremías Ezequiel of local practice Taller Capitán to create a matching interior design. The original interior, dark and dilapidated, was fully stripped and revealed the building’s bare shell, and much of it has been retained. In fact, it has been used as a starting point for the design codes which in turn are an extrapolation of the aesthetic of La Tostaduría, one of Gallo’s previous establishments he opened with the aforementioned architecture practice. Upon entering Culto, customers pass through the original cast iron door with ornate decorations and find themselves in a setting that blends old and new. Exposed façade walls frame large floor-to-ceiling windows and are paired with the building’s original tile flooring. The other side sees a wall dipped in an emerald green hue and lined by an elongated service counter. The sleek custom-made furniture is crafted from zinc-plated iron, and combined with pendant lamps over the counter and alongside the windows, add a distinct modern touch to the setting. As said, at Culto coffee is key, and you’ll be able to pick from a range of freshly roasted variations by MVD Roasters, in addition to sandwiches, rolls, cakes and ice cream.
Culto
Calle Sarandí 499 (Ciudad Vieja)
11000 Montevideo
Mon-Fri 8-7
Sat-Sun 12-7
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
