Continuing on our world journey to find the most interesting coffeeshops abroad, today we travel to Lodz, Poland. Being a harbor city, much of Lodz borders the ocean, and the Zmainatematu Coffee Shop is no exception. The building was the brainchild of XM3 Architecture Studios and was built on an extremely low budget. The owners wanted to give the place an oceanic feel to reflect the importance of the harbor in Lodz, so XM3 literally made the coffeeshop look like the inside of a boat.
In order to work within the tight budget, several creative concessions were made. The wood and concrete used as building materials were left uncovered by drywall, giving the rough-hewn, sweeping feeling of the inside of a ship. Built in between the wooden layers are shelves for storage. Lights dangle from the ceiling, giving the appearance of ship movement when they sway with changing air pressure.
Zmainatematu evolved into more than a coffeeshop and is now know as one of the top “places to be” in Lodz. They host art galas for the aspiring creatives of the city, along with a variety of cultural events for the general public. The old and the new mix quite well at Zmainatematu, blending the traditions of a simpler time of boats and fishermen with the exciting frontier of tomorrow.
Perhaps we could stand to learn a thing or two from this unique coffeeshop. Our culture has an apparent split between tradition and innovation, with some holding fast to the past while others scoff at anything old-timey. Both approaches miss the valuable assets provided by the other. As in Zmainatematu, the past shapes who we are today, but without ever looking ahead, life becomes a stagnant backwater of outdated ideas. We must learn to walk the fine line between yesterday and tomorrow.
