Patisserie Hofer (since 1845)

The Patisserie Hofer in the centre of the old town of Bozen / Bolzano (IT) was founded in 1845 and is the oldest in the whole region; now it is running in its 6th generation. The architects have kept all the history in mind and gave the shop an urban and contemporary vibe with a cosy atmosphere.

The owner of the patisserie lived and worked for years in Vienna and fell in love with the tradition of the ‘Wiener Kaffeehaus’. Cosy spaces where you can enjoy coffee and pastry for hours, reading a newspaper and having a chat with the waiter, as you would in your own living room, were his idea of the new café. And in fact, the cosiness already starts from the doorsill. The entrance is formed by a group of vintage armchairs found in the attic of the patisserie; they create a sort of a living room and invite passing people to have a seat. In summer the façade is totally open and the chairs get part of the street and the city.

The aim in the design process was to open up the shop towards the streets, through the glazed and open able façade you can observe what is going on inside. And you can even see the lightened panel at the very back of the space showing a picture of the bakery from the beginning of the century. The history is always present in the interior design... The central part of the shop is created by a shelf that evolves along the walls and also the ceiling like a sculpture. The clean and minimalist counter with all the sweet treats is standing underneath.

The café (80 sqm) is separated in 3 areas with different use of materials:
-“living room”: elm floor with Persian carpet and reused vintage armchairs; self made floor lamp with elm foot and glass lamp shade.
-bar and shop: elm floor, special treatment of the big counter with a grey resin filling; elm shelf that evolves along the walls and ceiling like a sculpture.
-“Wiener Kaffeehaus”: elm floor, fabric on wall and ceiling, lightened panel with historic photograph.

Openable façade that opens the café to the street.

Stone façade from traditional basalt of the region.

The patisserie Hofer has always been a very popular gathering place for having a good coffee and cake; because of the closed façade it was a well-kept secret for insiders... Now, after the conversion, the traditional cafè turned into an urban place that is strongly connected to the street. The cosy atmosphere of the "living room" invites everybody to come in. The owner likes the new concept, that always keeps the history in mind, and wants his cafè to be open to all generations and is organizing special events like concerts or vernissages once a month.