Bare bricks meet plush velvet banquettes at wine bar Balthazar, which has taken over the basement of a century-old building in Kiev’s Besarabsky Market.

The cellar’s renovation took a year and a half, including shifting tonnes of soil at night to avoid the busy daily market.

Previous images

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Next images

Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko

Start slideshowShow thumbnails1 of 14

Local design studio Rina Lovko oversaw its transformation, softening the subterranean atmosphere with vases full of feathers, wall-hung tapestries and leather-covered stools.

Guests might not realise it, but the bar’s long velvet bench is actually part of the building’s newly exposed foundation, now converted into seating. For patrons seeking a little more privacy, there are also tiny wall-mounted tables under the glow of overhead spotlights.

Dark green tiles and moss-coloured upholstery emphasise the moody atmosphere of the bar, which is hidden behind a graffiti-covered metal door in the heart of the 107-year-old market.

Bessarabs’ka Square, 2, Kyiv, Ukraine, 02000

How to use Pantone’s colour of the year in your home