• CAFE/RESTORANS

VOLGARY

Year: 2026
Area: 371 m2
Interior designers: Nailya Sorokina, Regina Kakhya, Anastasia Lukyanchikova
Graphic designer: Guzel Marsovna
Location: Ulyanovsk, on Alexandrovskaya St. 60, Imperial Resort & SPA

Volgari is a restaurant concept of the Volga peoples based on the image of the great river as a cultural, natural and spatial axis. In folk tradition, there
is a legend about the two banks of the Volga: some fishermen call it female, the other – male. This metaphor became the basis of the project’s interior scenario.

The main idea of the interior is two banks of the same river. The space is divided into two halls with different characters. The left bank opens through the women’s hall: soft, warm, intimate, with smooth shapes, light textures, textiles, natural shades and a sense of home. The right bank is embodied in the men’s room: more austere, embossed and artisanal, with an emphasis on stone, wood, metal, geometry and expressive textures.

The central corridor becomes the image of the Volga River, the connecting axis between the two halls. It works not only as a driving route, but also as an independent interior installation. Mirrored ripple panels on the ceiling, caustics, vertical lamps and a stone path create a sense of water flow, depth and movement from shore to
shore.

The entrance area symbolizes the Caspian Sea, the starting point of the interior route. Water reflections, subdued light, natural materials and stone plastics set the atmosphere of the project even before moving to the main halls. In the women’s room, the light composition on the wall refers to the Samara Bow, a recognizable bend of the Volga River, turning the natural contour into an architectural image.

The planned restaurant includes two main halls, a VIP room, a children’s area and a central corridor. The additional rooms continue the overall idea of the project: the children’s area interprets the natural theme through soft textures, warm wood and wall paintings, and the VIP room with a long communal table and a fountain wall creates a more intimate atmosphere associated with the image of water and privacy. “Volgari” is not a direct quotation of folklore, but a modern interpretation of the cultural code of the Volga: through light, texture, movement, natural forms and
the architectural image of two banks connected by one river.