Adding to Karlín’s growing reputation as the coolest neighbourhood in all of Prague is an artisanal coffee parlour called Grounds. Founded by René Královič, a hospitality entrepreneur and owner of coffee roasting company Rusty Nails who wanted to set up a coffee parlour which would also feature an in-house roasting facility while also creating a new platform for baristas and coffee experts. Grounds occupies a lofty 120 sqm. (1,292 sq.ft.) unit in an inner courtyard of a residential building, and features an interior design by Brno-based architecture and design studio KOGAA. The venue may have been done on a budget, but it’s high on style, ticking all of the required boxes that make a cool hangout. Four large skylights allow in plenty of daylight, adding to the spacious feel of the premises. A duplex wooden structure has been erected in the middle, accommodating pretty much all of Grounds‘ facilities. Upon entering, coffee aficionados find themselves in the café section, featuring a service station and sales counter clad in corrugated steel on one side, and a seating area, comprising of an elongated wooden bench alongside the wall, round concrete tables and chairs. Right next to wooden shelving, a bright orange steel staircase leads to the mezzanine floor which is home to a working space. Encased in an organically shaped corrugated plastic floor-to-ceiling wall while also lined with lush potted plants, it’s furnished with a conference table and a comfy sofa. Right below, situated behind the sales counter, Grounds‘ roasting facility can be found. No less than 80% of the materials used, is construction waste from a previous KOGAA project, and both the suspended lights and industrial lamps have been sourced from a disused factory.
Grounds
ulice Šaldova 419/16 (Karlín)
186 00 Prague
Tue-Sat 8-6
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.
