7x Instagrammable bakeries

Blé Bakery on Agias Sofias in Thessaloniki was designed by the minimalist architects at Claudio Silvestrin Giuliana Salmaso (London & Milan). The name (blé being French for wheat) suits them very well, as they offer more than 60 kinds of bread made from different types of natural dough. You can also go there for their wide range of profiteroles, tiramisu, chocolates, all-natural ice creams and their famous gateaux of French-Swiss origin. But that’s not what brought them awards. These, and mentions in foreign headlines, are due to the fact that Blé has the world’s tallest stone oven. This gigantic oven measures 12 metres in height, is shaped like a monolith and made of sand, straw and clay from Crete.

The clear, minimalist interior of Komşufirin, which means ‘the oven in the neighbourhood’, really catches the eye. The interior was redesigned by Autobahn. They used natural oak and white tiles: a modern design as a contrast to the ancient baking process. This bakery mainly offers pre-baked products, and has the wish to grow to 1000 stores in 2020.

Rome-based architect Daniela Colli designed the dramatic looks of VyTA Boulangerie. With its contrasting light oak and black polymer surfaces, the hexagonal beehive detailing and the stylised ‘hood’ over the pastry displays, this shop looks just like a high-end fashion boutique or a bar instead of ‘just’ a bakery. You can find VyTA Boulangerie shops in Rome, Milan, Turin and Naples.

This new establishment of Praktik Hotels is the first hotel-bakery in the world. Baluard, a traditional bakery owned by Anna Bellsolà, is at the heart of this 74-room designer hotel. The bakery is huge, with the looks of a busy urban bakery and with the baking process in full view. It enables the hotel guests to wake up to the best smell of the world: that of freshly baked bread, right from the oven. Guests can enjoy the bakery products at breakfast, over the counter or in the charming cafeteria. Praktik Bakery, located in an elegant building in classic Barcelona style, was designed by Lázaro Rosa-Violán, a prestigious, highly recognised interior designer.

Joseph – Brot vom Pheinsten (meaning finest bread) has a focus on naturalness. They use 100% ingredients from organic Austrian farms and they craft their creations based on traditional recipes and baking methods. The doughs for their breads are given at least 24 hours rest before they bake it twice in their steam oven. And in their patisserie, they use seasonal ingredients to make sure their products are fresh and exude maximum flavour. The interior of their store also resembles this philosophy. Designer Martin Dvorak made sure to use only natural materials and made the bakeries and kitchens look clean, minimalistic and transparent.

At Baker D. Chirico, it’s all about bread. And of course about design, as that’s the first thing that catches the eye when entering the stores. The curving wood slats, created by March Studio, infuse light and warmth into the tiny shops. Worth the visit when you like chic design and amazing, artisanal bread.

The third store of Madrid-based bakery Pany Y Pasteles is as instagrammable as could be. It’s located on the ground floor of a 150-year-old building. When the old brick walls, full of texture and character, were revealed, architect and designer Virginia del Barco (from studio Ideo Architectura) knew what to do. She installed an eye-catching ceiling made of 12,000 pink wooden bars of various lengths. The lighting, tables, stools and bar counters are also designed by Ideo ArchitecturaPany Y Pasteles (Madrid, Spain). This third store looks very different from the first two, but they all sell lovely cakes, cookies and other sweet treats.