Finnish design studio Yatofu collaborated with young and local craftspeople to create El Fant Café and Bar in Helsinki, Finland.
The cafe and bar comprises three front of house spaces across 70 square metres, including a central bar with two adjoining dining spaces either side.
Yatofu intended to inject the energy of Helsinki’s contemporary design community into Torikorttelit, in Helsinki’s old town, where El Fant is located.
“Our approach was rooted in celebrating the timeless qualities of Finnish design while infusing it with a contemporary twist,” Yatofu’s founders Angela Lindahl and Yihan Xiang told Dezeen.
Guests enter into the central bar area featuring a custom galvanised steel bar designed by Yatofu in collaboration with local custom metal workshop Paja&Bureau.
They designed the bar counter and matching shelving units to “add a touch of industrial modernity to the space”. The steel units bend and curve optimising the flow of the three connected interior spaces.
Yatofu also closely collaborated with Helsinki-based carpentry workshop Puutamo, led by young female carpenter Eveliina Ylöne, to create solid pine furniture.
Yatofu purposefully worked with young and local craftspeople on the project, allowing them “to inject the space with fresh perspectives and a genuine connection to the community,” the studio told Dezeen.
“By working with local craftspeople, we were able to explore new possibilities for local production and celebrate the creativity and innovation that defines the current generation of Finnish craftsmen,” they added.
Eveliina Ylönen and Yatofu opted for four-centimetre-thick pine boards from northern Finland to create all the custom furniture pieces in the space.
“Pine was selected for its historical significance in Finnish craftsmanship and its natural characteristics, durability and warmth,” said the studio.
The result of the collaboration includes a set of stools, benches and tables with both natural and stained finishes.
Together, we explored how to maintain the wood’s natural beauty while introducing bold, contemporary design elements such as the saturated tomato-red dye, which added a modern twist to the traditional material,” Yatofu explained.
The stained finish was applied on a table and chairs set in the bar area, as well as benches in the dining areas.
Paired with dining chairs from the Finnish brand Vaarnii, the solid pine pieces counterbalance the cool-toned steel.
This balance was also formed through the choice of earth-toned plaster walls and polished concrete flooring. As well as a series of warm-hued spotlights and wall lights, including a pair of Howard Wall lamps by Gubi.
“The juxtaposition of warm natural materials like pine with cooler, industrial elements like galvanised steel was designed to evoke a sense of balance and harmony,” Yatofu explained.
This balance of materials across the design scheme aims to create an “atmosphere that feels both relaxed and invigorating”.
Other projects featured on Dezeen by Yatofu include a furniture showroom in Hangzhou, China and a refined teahouse interior in Helsinki, Finland.
The photography is by Aleksi Tikkala.
