Café Elli to Open in Renovated Tampere Theatre in September

Café Elli will bring a versatile new meeting and event space to the city centre when it opens at Tampere Theatre in September. Interior architect Petra-Miisa Juusenaho designed the café as a temporary interval space that can also be hired for private events. Juusenaho says the team modernised a room last styled in the 1980s and 1990s. They renewed building systems, updated the colour scheme and furnishings, introduced movable seating and preserved the original oak mosaic parquet. The result blends old and new. An Inkiostro ceiling wallpaper functions as a painted feature. The menu will include small savoury and sweet items and a range of drinks. A terrace planned for next summer will allow the space to operate as a wine bar even when the theatre itself is closed. It is named after former theatre director Elli Tompur to give the venue a more independent identity. The opening follows a public preview and guided visits during the theatre's autumn season launch in late August when the theatre held previews and tours.