The Kyiv restaurant Virgin Izakaya Bar, which opened its doors at the end of last year on the territory of the Arsenal factory, was selected as the best project in the Restaurant and bar interior category according to the audience of the popular Dezeen online magazine.

Virgin Izakaya Bar, designed by Yodezeen studio and developed by the Bulldozer Group, is the first traditional bar in Ukraine in the izakaya concept. Starting from the opening, the project has collected publications in such media as Domus, The Spaces, AZUR, Architectural Digest, ELLE Decoration, Interior + Design, and many others.

The task of the designers was the maximum preservation of the existing architecture, the authentic elements of the building with a rich history. “We have created an atmospheric, conceptually complete space. Brick walls, rough wood, oxidized metal, bare concrete matched with the warm and pleasant atmosphere created by the right accent light and greenery,” says the chief architect of the project Artem Zverev, co-founder of the Yodezeen studio.

More than 4,700 projects from 86 countries and six continents took part in the Dezeen Awards this year. Two types of voting are carried out among all projects: according to the jury and public voting. The 53 000 votes took part in the online poll, of which 34% of the audience’s voices in their category were given to the Virgin Izakaya Bar restaurant project. Among the winners in the category of interior projects are such architectural and design bureaus as Woods Bagot, Kingston Lafferty Design, Mold Architects, Ste Marie Art and Design, Beyond Space, B210, Denizen Works Ltd, and others.

“This is our first award in the Dezeen Awards, and we are happy that a wide audience has singled out our Ukrainian project,” said Artur Sharf, co-founder of the Yodezeen studio.
Dezeen Awards is one of the most respected competitions in architecture and design, determining the best projects and studios for the fourth year in a row. The organizer of the competition is Dezeen, one of the most influential media of architecture and design.

Yodezeen is an award-winning architectural and interior design studio with over 800 projects worldwide and offices in Kyiv, Moscow, Miami, and Los Angeles. Artur Sharf and Artem Zverev founded the studio in 2010, intending to develop a conceptual approach in design and architecture. The studio is distinguished by high-quality design, international experience and is well-known in the residential and commercial real estate sectors.