Kazakhstan cafe plays with shifting light from morning to night

Stained glass windows and custom wooden shutters filter light inside Six Coffee Wine, a cafe and wine bar recently completed by local practice NAAW Studio in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Located in the historic centre of Almaty, NAAW Studio wanted to create an interior aesthetic that shifts throughout the day as it turns from a cafe to a wine bar.

“The concept was built around a gradual shift – from morning to evening, from coffee to wine,” NAAW Studio co-founder Elvira Bakubayeva told Dezeen.

“This transition unfolds across five connected rooms, each with a distinct character shaped by light, colour and material.”

A curved limestone counter cuts through the entrance space, with bar-top seating to one side and an open bakery to the other.

Terrazzo flooring was tinted pink to match the counter, contrasted against stainless steel wall panels, kitchen fittings and a sculptural overhead light fixture. Colourful stained glass panes illuminate the space from behind.

Built-in bench seating runs along the front wall, complete with integrated pastel yellow coffee tables. A felt wall tapestry from local design studio Dunie hangs above.

“The material palette came out of a desire to balance tactile, natural surfaces with more precise reflective ones,” said Bakubayeva.

“Shell limestone brings a depth through its fossil-rich texture, while stainless steel elements – like the curved bar light – offer contrast and clarity.”

In the central seating area, terrazzo flooring and limestone walls were paired with an assortment of wood and travertine tables, alongside dark green seating from Aq Objects – a local brand whose designs draw on traditional yurt furniture.

Custom wooden shutters were added, enabling the tone and quality of light to be easily adjusted. Designed as a visual extension of the shutters, a layered veneer wall panel was incorporated.

Custom-made furnishings were combined with pieces from brands such as Plopp, whose sculptural inflatable chairs add a sense of playfulness. Lighting was sourced from &Tradition, Pholc and Verpan.

Stained-glass windows feature throughout the interior, with a custom gradient that the studio said “follows the day to night progression”. The pink, yellow and green tones of the glass are in keeping with the wider interior scheme.

Created in collaboration with artist Zhanel Shakhan, the glass panes include embedded depictions of the cafe itself, designed as a visual thread between the various rooms.

A series of cased openings finished with a metallic trim connect the sequence of rooms.

“The interior originally followed a corridor-based layout,” said Bakubayeva. “The current openings represent the maximum span allowed within the building’s seismic structural constraints.”

Further inside the space, the material and colour palette shifts, with the introduction of marble inlay flooring and rich tones reflecting the transition of the space into a wine bar at night.

Dark red hues appear, with a gloss red drinks cabinet added alongside burgundy chairs, rugs and lights. Matching red panels line the walls and floors of the corridors leading to the kitchen and bathrooms.

“The colour palette follows the same progression as the spatial sequence – starting with gentle yellows and soft blush tones in early rooms, while deeper areas lean into more grounded hues,” said Bakubayeva.

“We aimed for a palette that works on an ambient level – perceptible, but not dominant,” she suggested.

According to the studio, the choice of materials was also guided by a desire for the interior to resonate with the architecture and material landscape of Almaty.

“Shell limestone – visible on the facades of the Kazakhstan Hotel, Palace of the Republic, Arasan Baths and other local landmarks – is reinterpreted across interior walls,” said Bakubayeva.

“The stained glass draws loosely upon landmarks like the famous Ascension Cathedral, but reworked in a contemporary way.”

Other cafe design stories recently featured on Dezeen include a minimalist aluminium-clad cafe in China and a matcha store inside a historic Manhattan building.

The photography is by Damir Otegen.

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