Long a staple of the architectural diet, so to speak, bakeries have evolved into multifunctional places intended for much more than simply selling bread, attracting people to stay and eat in sophisticated, stylish surroundings. With Passover drawing to a close this weekend, we’d like to mark the end of the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread with seven delicious examples of boutique bakeries. It’s truly a feast for your eyes — no carbs to speak of — and click on the links for more details of every project on the Architizer database.
Bakery in Oporto by Paulo Merlini
This bakery-cum-restaurant in Gondomar, Portugal, was designed to give customers a numerous styles of space that they can choose the spot in which they feel most comfortable to enjoy a tasty pastry or cake. The interior’s standout feature is its undulating louvered ceiling, which “melts” at certain points like a gloopy cake topping.
Parken Bakery by LINK Arkitektur
LINK Arkitektur’s bakery and café at the Science Park in Oslo, Norway, was designed as an internal “green lung,” forming a natural interior that forms a calm and comfortable space for both staff and visitors. Five meeting rooms are also directly accessible from the café, blurring the boundary between formal and informal meeting places.
Omonia Bakery by Bluarch Architecture + Interiors + Lighting
This boutique Greek pastry store in Queens, New York, is designed to celebrate indulgence. The interior is wrapped with a seductive skin of chocolate-colored tiles, and features a system of tubular light bulbs finished with dozens of sculptural red-cedar spheres. The architecture strives for an “exquisite level of craftsmanship” that matches the artisanship of Omonia’s pastries.
Laura’s Bakery by Johannes Torpe Studios
Laura’s Bakery in Copenhagen, Denmark, combines the classic characteristics of a traditional French boulangerie with a modern interpretation of a Danish bakery. It delights in the raw aesthetic and contrasting textures of materials such as solid oak, blackboard, and subway tiles, and the use of beautifully finished concrete and black steel means this bakery looks like it could have been conceived by a certain Tadao Ando.
Vicki Lee’s Café and Bakery by Merge Architects
This bright and airy bakery in Belmont, Massachusetts, is unified by a simple, inexpensive material that is an architect’s favorite — oriented strand board (OSB). A polycarbonate sheathed wall behind the display area provides privacy while allowing borrowed light to penetrate deep into the workplace.
A veil of multi-colored chevrons adorns the façade of this tearoom and bakery in Porto Alegre, Brazil, framed by timber that doubles as a pergola with covered seating. The renovation of the original building involved a reconfiguration of internal space to improve circulation between the utility areas and the main dining space, and the colorful furnishings and finishes were specified to create a vibrant ambience.
Fabula Pastry Boutique by Lima Urban Lab
Stylish branding, walls of rich walnut and glass topped tables make this boutique bakery in Lima, Peru, look more like a sophisticated bar than a conventional pastry shop. The modern interior displays its baked products in specifically designed niches, and the plain black exterior possesses an equally polished aesthetic.