MARYMO HELGA
project: Marymo HELGA
link
location: Lviv, Ukraine
area: 201 m²
photographer: Mykhailo Lukashuk
year: 2026
Marymo HELGA is a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant that is part of the Lviv-based “Marymo svoyeyu spravoyu” restaurant group (“obsessed with our craft” in English). The venue is located on the ground floor of the HELGA business centre in Lviv’s Frankivskyi district. Its interior combines restrained contemporary design with the charm of 1970s Italy.
SPATIAL RHYTHM
The restaurant has two main modes of use: daytime and evening. During the day, it is frequented by employees of the companies based in the business centre and residents of the surrounding new developments. In the evening, subdued lighting creates an intimate atmosphere, transforming the restaurant into a cosy meeting place where guests from across the city come for dinner.
For the convenience of its guests, the venue has two entrances: one from the street and another directly from the business centre. The entrance from the business centre is integrated into a large shelving unit that effectively separates the restaurant from the shared lobby. The unit serves several functions: a washbasin is integrated into it in the entrance area, while the side facing the main dining room incorporates a pastry display and a sommelier’s station with carefully designed wine storage.
FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD
SPATIAL VARIETY
The restaurant has two dining rooms with a total of 104 seats, as well as a further 44 seats on the summer terrace. The main dining room offers a variety of seating options, ranging from upholstered sofas to bar stools. The open kitchen behind the bar creates a sense of transparency and engagement, allowing guests to observe part of the food preparation process.
MATERIAL HERITAGE
The main accent in the smaller dining room is an artistic wall panel designed by PRAVDA Design. The panel reflects the identity of the “Marymo svoyeyu spravoyu” restaurant group through an unusual material: recycled clay. Mixed with straw, the clay was sourced from a traditional Ukrainian house that had stood for more than a century. It was broken down, cast into a new form and stabilised. This solution highlights the group’s core values: respect for tradition, its reinterpretation and the search for a contemporary expression.
The materials used throughout the Marymo HELGA interior are highly tactile and natural. The natural palette is complemented by accents of deep burgundy and green. The walls and bar counter are finished in dark, honey-toned oak, while the columns are clad in white glazed ceramic tiles. The flooring combines irregular pieces of travertine with a fine terrazzo pattern, creating an engaging visual effect. The exposed ceiling services are partially concealed by acoustic panels with integrated track lighting that illuminates each table individually.
SENSORY PALETTE
“The interior was inspired by 1970s Italy—warm, relaxed and full of life. We wanted to convey this atmosphere through tactile surfaces, warm tones, soft lighting and a subtle sense of nostalgia, reflected in details such as the white curtains and striped velvet upholstery of the sofas,” says Dmytro Bonesko, art director and co-owner of YOD Group.
ITALIAN NOSTALGIA
