Tasting Room With Client Jorney Map

The Cider Brewery - A Tasting Room or Bar Serving Only Cider

Cider is a low-alcohol drink made from fruit, in this case, apples. The concept behind the cidery's interior design draws inspiration from Russian culture, traditional crafts, and patterns reminiscent of Slavic heritage and history, all reinterpreted through a modern Russian cultural lens. We've incorporated elements of nature that ancient Slavs believed were imbued with spirits: fire, water, wood, and stone. These elements appear throughout the interior in various forms. Behind the scenes, the project has been nicknamed "Svetlitsa."

Svetlitsa Plan
Plan of the Cidery

Svetlitsa, the tasting room of "White Eagle Cider," is located directly at the cider production site, surrounded by apple orchards. Therefore, apples are featured as wall decorations in the form of ceramic pieces. In the center of the room stands a representation of Makosh, the Slavic goddess of fertility. Makosh symbolizes the creative and life-giving force of nature. She is depicted as a tree, with her image inspired by traditional cross-stitch embroidery. In front of the goddess stands a stone-like bar counter, which we've named "That Very Stone," referencing the legendary stone from the tale of the three knights: "If you go right..., if you go left...". From this stone, a tap system emerges, with cider kegs stored inside the bar. The placement of the bar is intentionally rotated, adding a sense of movement to the space. Above the stone hang several light fixtures, shaped like arrows, which we felt were a fitting addition to the design.

The room features two large wooden communal tasting tables. One is called "the river," and the other "the herring." Above the tables hang carved wooden totems and suspended light fixtures. The chairs behind the tables are playful, with some shaped like animals — a goat and a ram. The unique wavy form of the river table is echoed by a "river shelf" that stands against the wall near the stone bar.

The floor in Svetlitsa is covered with ceramic tiles that mimic fish scales, a common decorative motif in both Russian interiors and exteriors. The color red is also a notable feature, symbolizing beauty in Slavic culture (in Russian, the word for red, "krasny," also means beautiful).

Project Materials Page from the Client Presentation

Along the perimeter of the cidery runs a zigzag frieze, a design commonly used to decorate traditional wooden houses. This pattern is associated with wooden shingles used to cover roofs and can also be found in stone architecture. The ceiling features arches and rounded details, reminiscent of vaulted stone ceilings and arched windows with inverted onion domes.

Two doors flank the sides of the Svetlitsa, leading to the production area. They are designed with window trims, a familiar feature in the Vologda, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, and Vladimir regions. The doors themselves are decorated with the distinctive pattern of a Soviet-era fence (PO-02). Visitors won't use these doors, as they represent a "dead end" with no entry.

Main Objectives

The primary goal of the tasting room was to create a design concept with elements of CJM (Client Journey Map) that could be easily implemented using local brands and custom production. A CJM (Client Journey Map) refers to the customer’s journey through this interior, starting from tasting the various ciders produced here—ciders that have won numerous awards for quality—and leading to either purchasing a batch or signing a long-term supply contract. The goal was to sell an experience and a story that would make the space memorable through its interior design.

We needed to incorporate storage for bottled cider, kegged cider, shelving for glassware, and display shelves for awards that the White Eagle ciders have won and will win in the future. The space had to accommodate up to 14 guests at a time and be designed in a "Russian style," whatever that might mean, as everyone has their own interpretation of it. The room was originally planned within the production building with a ceiling height of 5 meters at its peak. All it needed was interior decoration and zoning. We worked with the rectangular space, adding an entry vestibule and later designing the central facade.

Layout

Everything began with zoning the room and placing the main large elements of the interior to ensure convenience. We set up the bar counter, with bottle storage and glassware nearby, followed by two tables for guests to sit at. Alongside that, we brainstormed the associations we wanted to bring into the space. We selected imagery that would evoke the "Russian code." This included paintings like "The Knight at the Crossroads" and "Bogatyrs" by Viktor Vasnetsov, "Messengers. Early Morning in the Kremlin" by Vasnetsov's son, "The Swan Princess" by Vrubel, and "Bathing of a Red Horse" by Petrov-Vodkin.

Project Presentation Page
Page from the project presentation for the client

Lighting

There shouldn’t be any lighting at the bar. (Just kidding.) It’s been noticed that in dimly lit places, people tend to drink more alcohol. But since we’re designing a tasting room, we planned general lighting. The room will host presentations and casual stories about the beverages, so it might be important to see what's in the glass. Just in case, the general lighting is on a dimmer, so it can be lowered if desired. Specific lighting highlights the guest seating areas, with a focus on the tables. The lighting is varied to create an interesting atmosphere, and we added wall sconces that emphasize the doors to the production areas, which are framed with bright window trims.

Color Palette

The color palette was chosen to be a neutral gray-white with accents of contrasting red and golden wood tones. These colors were also selected to reference the overall neo-Russian style of the cidery's interior.

Furniture

Some of the furniture was custom-made for this interior to highlight its Slavic origins, but we also incorporated pieces from local manufacturers. For example, chairs from the Unika Moblar Hans project, goat and ram chairs by the INA brand, the red "Veselitsa" coat rack from Zapazuha, the Yaratam shelving unit, and a sideboard by Idea all fit perfectly into the space.

Architect-Designer: Ekaterina Proskurina
Designer-Visualizer: Daria Efremova
Designer: Daria Yashnikova