Tasked with converting an old gemstone store into an intimate café in Madrid, the third location of speciality coffee shop artisanal bakery ACID, interior architects Plantea Estudio took advantage of the property’s historic character imbuing the space with a quaint elegance that tiptoes between nostalgia and modernity. Original features that were worn out or concealed have been meticulously refurbished and are now complemented by well-crafted details and minimalist additions that inject a sense of contemporary sophistication.

Located on the ground floor of a turn-of-the-century building in Justicia, one of Madrid's grandest and liveliest ‘barrios’, the venue features a pronounced storefront flanked by curved windows on both sides of the doorway. Crafted from wood and green marble, and featuring ‘chantilly’ parquet flooring, the voluptuous store windows set the tone for the interior’s idiosyncratic charm. Combining a characterful service area with a half-lit, austere lounge in the back, ACID Shop is a surprisingly intimate refuge amid the hustle and bustle of central Madrid.

In order to maintain the shop's original division into two sections, the designers transformed the storage and restrooms into a cosy lounge area for customers. In the front, the gem shop’s wooden shelving units now showcase freshly baked bread, coffee beans, books and other items. Whilst original sections have been sanded down and varnished, subsequent additions have been replaced with new wooden elements painted in red. Warm-grey lime-washed walls and a black terrazzo floor, the latter uncovered under layers of flooring, complement the wooden furnishings imbuing the space with warmth and elegance. In juxtaposition to the restored features, which also include a decorative plaster frieze above the new serving area, two minimalist stainless-steel counters add contemporary notes.

Conceived as a quieter, more sedate space, the lounge area at the back of the shop is a darker, more pared-down space centred on a long communal table made from brush stainless steel. Paired with matching metallic stools and bare-bulb light pendants, the table’s monastic ambience is further amplified by the blue-painted plywood flooring, warm-grey and blue lime-washed walls, and stark decorative touches.