"Ostannya Barykada Lviv" is a gastronomic and artistic space in the historical part of the city, which we worked on for almost a year. This is a continuation of our cooperation with the "Dmytro Borisov Family of Restaurants," a new interpretation of the first of these establishments, a hallmark of Kyiv for eight years.
Work on the project began at the end of 2021. After the start of the war, we, together with our contractor partners, first held our breath and then assembled our teams in almost destroyed factories and remote offices. We were united by continuing the history of Ukrainian design "OB," but now in Lviv.
The hall's walls to the main entrance are decorated with casts of 72 human hands. They are not here by chance - they symbolize the 72 years Ukraine spent as part of the Soviet Union. The guest guesses which hand to shake, leaves behind all the others, and then enters the hall, where every square meter is full of symbols.
One of the features is the integration of these restaurants into iconic places with a long history. If in Kyiv it is the oldest and last barricade of the people of Kyiv - Lyadsky Vorota, then in Lviv, the space is "hidden" in Kraizerivska (Kralivska) Kamianitsa. It was built in the 16th century and named after the then-Lviv mayor Stanislav Kraizer. The building was sold and rebuilt many times until the "Under Hope" bookstore opened. It was here in 1864 that Taras Shevchenko's "Kobzar" appeared for the first time in Lviv. In the 1960s and 1970s, the popular restaurant "Under the Lion" was located on the first floor.
"OB" in Lviv is an institution-museum of modern Ukrainian music, a restaurant with Ukrainian design, gastronomy, and alcohol. His idea was born during the Ukrainians' defense of their identity. This interior, just like the first, was taken from the combination of elements of Ukrainian design identity with signs, materials, and legends against the background of a robust historical environment.
One of our main tasks was to harmoniously fit the establishment into the architecture of the old tenement house and complement the interior with new elements, but in such a way as not to overload them.
Every detail in the interior: from stone walls to furniture, is Ukrainian. For example, carpets with national motifs, which are one of the defining accents in the interior, are woven by Ukrainian craftsmen. For this, they needed more than 10 km of thread.
Poppies embroidered on metal, as a symbol of memory of those who died in wars, and artifacts - unique things from Ukrainian artists.
There is also a unique thing here – dynamic bar stools that move through an underground tunnel. They were developed specifically for the "OB" project.