ukyo X blends café, listening bar, and co-working inside restored historic interior in romania

in-still turns historic storefront into flexible culture hub

ukyo X, designed by in-still, occupies a historic storefront in the pedestrian center of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, as the third location of the ukyo brand. Conceived as a hybrid café, listening bar, and cultural venue, the project adapts the existing commercial space into an environment that accommodates hospitality, creative activity, and informal work. Large sliding glass doors allow the interior to open completely toward the street, dissolving the boundary between the public realm and the interior while extending the activity of the café into the surrounding urban context.

The project is organized as a flexible environment where social, cultural, and creative functions coexist within a continuous spatial framework. Drawing on the qualities of a domestic setting, the interior allows visitors to move between socializing, co-working, and quieter moments of individual use without rigid programmatic divisions. A modular furniture system supports this flexibility, enabling the layout to accommodate different group sizes and patterns of occupation.

At the center of the space, a continuous communal table reinterprets the traditional family table as an extended social element rather than a standalone piece of furniture. The linear arrangement allows individuals and groups to share the same setting while choosing different levels of interaction. This organization establishes an open and egalitarian spatial structure in which no seating position is given greater emphasis than another.

all images courtesy of in-still

Wood veneer, restored mosaic, and sound shape ukyo X

The material palette selected by in-still design studio combines natural wood veneer with stainless steel, balancing warm, tactile surfaces with reflective metal elements through a restrained color scheme. The original mosaic floor has been carefully restored, preserving the material history of the existing building while integrating it into the new interior. This combination of retained and newly introduced materials establishes continuity between the site’s architectural past and its contemporary use.

Although the venue primarily operates as a café and brunch destination, the interior is organized into four interconnected zones: a coffee bar, a lounge, a music and art space, and a secluded co-working area. Consistent materials and architectural details unify these spaces, while changes in lighting, sound, and atmosphere support the transition from daytime café to evening listening bar. In this way, ukyo X extends beyond the conventional café model, bringing together specialty coffee, a dedicated sound system, and cultural programming within a single spatial framework.

lounge area with modular seating and speaker wall in the background

the listening bar with custom Hi-Fi speaker wall and stainless steel DJ console

adaptable and modular, the communal table can be reconfigured to suit various social layouts

entrance features glass sliding doors opening onto the street, mosaic floor and natural veneer interiors

the secluded co-working nook offers privacy from the more public areas of the cafe

adjacent working spaces with distinct personalities

seating area next to the listening lounge

the sense of fragmentation as a leitmotif across the whole project

coffee service counter in natural veneer and stainless steel

detail of curved natural veneer cabinet meeting stainless steel bar

evening mode: listening bar under red atmospheric lighting during a DJ set

exterior facade at dusk, showing the space activated from the pedestrian street

project info:

name: ukyo X
designer: in-still | @_in_still_

interior designer: Maria Schunn
manufacturers: Borodi Design, Mark Oliver Studio, Structowood

acoustic consultants: H.A.N.D. HI FI

location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania

area: 200 sqm

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. See more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: Christina Vergopoulou | designboom

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