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EL COPITAS bar
EL COPITAS bar
Russia
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Other Projects by DA bureau
EL COPITAS bar
Russia
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2025
SIZE
0 sqft - 1000 sqft
El Copitas was created by three friends, Igor Zernov, Artem Peruk and Nikolay Kiselyov, in a small basement, which had been handed over to them in a state of neglect. At that time the interior was assembled from improvised means - the owners made the central wooden table and table tops with their own hands, and chairs were collected from friends from other bars. Additional authenticity of the place was given by the details that El Copitas acquired over time: a fresco depicting Frida Kahlo on one of the walls painted in azure Maya Blue, ceramic skulls, rabbit figures - references to Aztec myth, personal ‘copitas’ - colourful tequila cups signed in honour of the bar's friends, a mural at the entrance with numerous wishes of the guests.
Concept
The interior concept is based on the mood board of the facility's owners Igor Zernov and Artem Peruk. From their trips to Mexico, they brought back a beautiful legend that once upon a time in Oaxaca, after a terrible fire destroyed the whole settlement, only a fresco with the image of Virgen de Juquila - the patroness of those who make tequila - remained intact in the temple dedicated to her. The owners have decided to embody this legend in the bar, preserving the main ‘sanctuary’ of the old El Copitas - communal tables, a fresco of Frida, and rabbit figures, while at the same time, giving them a new reading.
Thus, the interior of the renovated El Copitas is based on the image of a mystical sacral space that was reborn after the burning and has preserved all its sacred objects.
We made the interior of the bar completely monochromatic: the walls are dark brown, almost black, and the table tops and chairs are made of dark wood. We installed LED candles around the perimeter and three localised ‘altars’ behind the bar. And we elegantly integrated the ‘sanctuaries’ that have been forming the unique spirit of the bar for 10 years to create this new story.
Process
It is important to note that even though the design was thought up and agreed with the client in December 2021, 3 years later it remained without a change and, yet, kept its relevance. On 1 September 2024, the bar closed for renovation, and already on 1 January 2025 it welcomed its guests again.
New design
An important goal we set ourselves in developing this project was to create a scenario of a gradual immersion of the guests in the renovated space. El Copitas has many friends and fans who have become accustomed to the interior of the bar over the 10 years of its existence, so it was important for us to enhance the interior without destroying the scenarios of interaction with the space, which are familiar to the visitors of the establishment.
Under the scenario we came up with, the guests of the bar first enter the dark entrance area, where the long familiar sign ‘El Copitas’ shines brightly in lilac pink. But gradually, their eyes begin to capture the changes and new details: the carved cabinet, the trimmings, the bands on the cloakroom with inscriptions transferred from the walls of the old bar, and the lancet archway leading into the main hall.
The wardrobe ribbons feature inscriptions carried over from the walls of the old bar, words and phrases in Spanish related to Mexican culture, and blank spaces for new wishes. In developing this technique, we were inspired by the tradition of tying colourful ribbons to the branches of a tree when travelling, hoping to return to that place again.
In the main hall, which is softly immersed in semi-darkness, the guests will notice more changes: we have turned the bar and put seating around the perimeter, while in the centre, there can be seen a large communal table made of concrete, the same shape as in the old bar. However, it now has an additional function - we have built ventilation into it.
Behind the bartender's seat, we created three illuminated ‘altars’ in niches with lancet arches, where we placed the bar's sanctuaries - personalised copitas and rare mezcal.
Diving into another lancet archway, the guests enter the second room, which has undergone even more changes: now there is an island with an open kitchen, an authentic carved cabinet with a built-in mini greenhouse for growing flowers for cocktails, elbow tables around the perimeter and a mini version of the communal table made of concrete, as in the main hall.
Legends and stories
The mystical interior of the bar is imbued with numerous legends and references to Mexican culture.
One of the fundamental images of the old El Copitas, the portrait of Frida, has been recreated in a new reading. It now appears as a thin line on one of the walls of the main hall, like the face of the Virgen de Juquila from the legend of the burned church in Oaxaca.
The interior is also filled with various Aztec images and ornaments, neatly integrated into the overall image: they appear in reliefs on the massive concrete walls and the backs of black wood benches, while on the walls of the washrooms, there are carved inscriptions and drawings referring to the mastery of tequila production.
The Aztec legend about the rabbits of Mayahuel, the goddess who gave people agave, which is important for the bar, is now represented in its space not only through porcelain figurines but also through light projection on the walls. The rabbits suddenly appear and disappear in random places, intriguing the guests who try to ‘catch’ them with their phones to post them on social media.
Having designed a new interior for El Copitas, we created a new legend for the place, subtly weaving old stories that keep the soul of the bar. The new mysterious space immerses the guests in the atmosphere of escapism as much as possible and also emphasises the bright serving of original cocktails and dishes.
Architect: Anna Lvovskaia, Boris Lvovskiy, Maria Romanova, Olga Belyakova, Ekaterina Piven, Evgeniy Kalistratov
Photo By: Dmitry Suvorov
Concept
The interior concept is based on the mood board of the facility's owners Igor Zernov and Artem Peruk. From their trips to Mexico, they brought back a beautiful legend that once upon a time in Oaxaca, after a terrible fire destroyed the whole settlement, only a fresco with the image of Virgen de Juquila - the patroness of those who make tequila - remained intact in the temple dedicated to her. The owners have decided to embody this legend in the bar, preserving the main ‘sanctuary’ of the old El Copitas - communal tables, a fresco of Frida, and rabbit figures, while at the same time, giving them a new reading.
Thus, the interior of the renovated El Copitas is based on the image of a mystical sacral space that was reborn after the burning and has preserved all its sacred objects.
We made the interior of the bar completely monochromatic: the walls are dark brown, almost black, and the table tops and chairs are made of dark wood. We installed LED candles around the perimeter and three localised ‘altars’ behind the bar. And we elegantly integrated the ‘sanctuaries’ that have been forming the unique spirit of the bar for 10 years to create this new story.
Process
It is important to note that even though the design was thought up and agreed with the client in December 2021, 3 years later it remained without a change and, yet, kept its relevance. On 1 September 2024, the bar closed for renovation, and already on 1 January 2025 it welcomed its guests again.
New design
An important goal we set ourselves in developing this project was to create a scenario of a gradual immersion of the guests in the renovated space. El Copitas has many friends and fans who have become accustomed to the interior of the bar over the 10 years of its existence, so it was important for us to enhance the interior without destroying the scenarios of interaction with the space, which are familiar to the visitors of the establishment.
Under the scenario we came up with, the guests of the bar first enter the dark entrance area, where the long familiar sign ‘El Copitas’ shines brightly in lilac pink. But gradually, their eyes begin to capture the changes and new details: the carved cabinet, the trimmings, the bands on the cloakroom with inscriptions transferred from the walls of the old bar, and the lancet archway leading into the main hall.
The wardrobe ribbons feature inscriptions carried over from the walls of the old bar, words and phrases in Spanish related to Mexican culture, and blank spaces for new wishes. In developing this technique, we were inspired by the tradition of tying colourful ribbons to the branches of a tree when travelling, hoping to return to that place again.
In the main hall, which is softly immersed in semi-darkness, the guests will notice more changes: we have turned the bar and put seating around the perimeter, while in the centre, there can be seen a large communal table made of concrete, the same shape as in the old bar. However, it now has an additional function - we have built ventilation into it.
Behind the bartender's seat, we created three illuminated ‘altars’ in niches with lancet arches, where we placed the bar's sanctuaries - personalised copitas and rare mezcal.
Diving into another lancet archway, the guests enter the second room, which has undergone even more changes: now there is an island with an open kitchen, an authentic carved cabinet with a built-in mini greenhouse for growing flowers for cocktails, elbow tables around the perimeter and a mini version of the communal table made of concrete, as in the main hall.
Legends and stories
The mystical interior of the bar is imbued with numerous legends and references to Mexican culture.
One of the fundamental images of the old El Copitas, the portrait of Frida, has been recreated in a new reading. It now appears as a thin line on one of the walls of the main hall, like the face of the Virgen de Juquila from the legend of the burned church in Oaxaca.
The interior is also filled with various Aztec images and ornaments, neatly integrated into the overall image: they appear in reliefs on the massive concrete walls and the backs of black wood benches, while on the walls of the washrooms, there are carved inscriptions and drawings referring to the mastery of tequila production.
The Aztec legend about the rabbits of Mayahuel, the goddess who gave people agave, which is important for the bar, is now represented in its space not only through porcelain figurines but also through light projection on the walls. The rabbits suddenly appear and disappear in random places, intriguing the guests who try to ‘catch’ them with their phones to post them on social media.
Having designed a new interior for El Copitas, we created a new legend for the place, subtly weaving old stories that keep the soul of the bar. The new mysterious space immerses the guests in the atmosphere of escapism as much as possible and also emphasises the bright serving of original cocktails and dishes.
Architect: Anna Lvovskaia, Boris Lvovskiy, Maria Romanova, Olga Belyakova, Ekaterina Piven, Evgeniy Kalistratov
Photo By: Dmitry Suvorov
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