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.
![](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Balthazar-bar-Kiev-by-Rina-Lovko-Design-22.jpg)
Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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Photography: Yevhenii Avramenko
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.
![Balthazar cocktail bar, Bessarabs'ka Square, 2, Kyiv, Ukraine, 02000](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Balthazar-bar-Kiev-by-Rina-Lovko-Design-12.jpg)
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
![Balthazar cocktail bar, Bessarabs'ka Square, 2, Kyiv, Ukraine, 02000](https://cdn.thespaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Balthazar-bar-Kiev-by-Rina-Lovko-Design-wide-main.jpg)
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