Farm Table Restaurant, located in Petropavlivska Borshchahivka near Kyiv, Ukraine, embodies a design philosophy centered on authenticity and local provenance. The 753-square-meter waterside dining space is part of the Seven Lakes landscape restaurant and hotel complex, completed in 2025 by YOD Group. The restaurant's concept revolves around a single-source kitchen that serves fish from the property's own lakes and seasonal produce from its farm. This commitment to "honest taste" rooted in Ukrainian culinary traditions extends to every aspect of the interior design. The architecture creates a seamless connection between dining experience and natural environment.
YOD Group's managing partner Volodymyr Nepiyvoda describes their approach as "terroir design," merging the kitchen's internal philosophy with the natural context of Seven Lakes. The interior feels airy and tactile, filled with natural textures that encourage guests to unwind and slow down. Large floor-to-ceiling windows feature a guillotine opening system that rises vertically during warm weather, completely erasing the boundary between restaurant and garden. The open kitchen further integrates the cooking process into the guest experience, making food preparation part of the connection to place. This transparency reinforces the restaurant's commitment to locality and sincerity.
The primary interior material is Ukrainian red sandstone from the Terebovlia quarry, a warm, grainy stone with a naturally matte finish typically reserved for exterior applications. YOD Group highlights this unconventional choice by using the sandstone for flooring, large communal tables, and bar elements, bringing authentic raw character indoors. The stone's deep wine tone harmonizes with light wood accents and soft linen curtains in muted hues. A large sculptural wine display carved from solid sandstone serves as a weighty, textured monolith in the restaurant lobby, inviting touch and reinforcing the project's natural material philosophy against imitation materials common in public interiors.
Circular skylights introduce additional natural light essential for the large pine trees planted in oversized tubs throughout the space. These trees enhance the sense of continuity between interior and exterior environments while softening the minimalist architecture with organic forms. The skylights also give the interior a subtly cosmic feel, contrasting rounded openings with straight lines. This integration of living vegetation within the dining space creates a unique atmosphere where architecture and landscape merge. The design prioritizes natural light and plant health as essential elements of the dining experience.
The restaurant's atmosphere is designed for unwinding and slowing down, creating an immediate sense of comfort through natural textures and thoughtful spatial planning. Guests experience a space that extends the landscape rather than competing with it, embodying YOD Group's terroir design philosophy. The tactile quality of sandstone, visual warmth of wood, and soft presence of linen create a multi-sensory environment. The open kitchen allows diners to observe culinary craftsmanship while connecting to the source of their meal. This holistic approach makes Farm Table more than a restaurant—it becomes an immersive experience of Ukrainian landscape and culture.
Lead architects Volodymyr Nepyivoda and Dmytro Bonesko directed the project with design team members Nataliia Tymoshenko, Yana Rogozhynska, and Mark Gorlushko. Andrii Shurpenkov's photography captures the material textures and light qualities that define the space. The 753-square-meter restaurant completed in 2025 demonstrates how local materials can create distinctive contemporary architecture. By showcasing Ukrainian red sandstone in an interior application, YOD Group challenges conventional material usage while celebrating regional resources. The project stands as a testament to design that honors both culinary and architectural heritage.
