Ukrainian architecture and interiors studio Ater Architects has recently renovated this 65-square-meter apartment in Kiev for a young couple who asked to transform it into a light and minimalist space. Thus, After Architects transformed the initial fractional layout with many separate rooms and corridors into an open-plan space. Only the bedroom area is separated from the main space by walls. Everywhere else cobalt blue curtains are used to delineate zones within the apartment.
The main color range of the apartment is restrained, almost monochrome. Such a decision is motivated by the ambition to balance the vigorous colored accents and make the space brighter and airier while maintaining some rigor. For this reason, the concrete slabs of the ceiling were painted white without loss of its texture.
For almost the entire apartment covering, wide oak engineered planks were chosen. It was only in the kitchen and bathroom areas where the design team decided to give up on standard tiles in favor of breccia — fragments of broken marble with polymer grout-filled joints.
The kitchen area is accomplished in the oak veneer to feel cozier and get extra soft-touch feelings. Black ceramic backdrop with pinkish seams serves as a subframe to the wooden facades. The customized dining table is lit by a Flowerpot lamp designed by Verner Panton in 1968.
The living room is an area for communication — at the request of the clients, neither television nor projector was provided. Powdery sofa contrasts profitably against the electric blue curtains. Plus, the graphic work of the artist Yulia Popova comes up visually as the centre of the living room. As an essential lighting element, the iconic Flos 265 was used here.
The specific request of the apartment owner was the workplace arrangement where he would be able to do his favorite thing — composing electronic music. To do this, Ater Architects has designed a table that can fit all the necessary equipment. Above the table, they have placed a photograph of the cult Berlin techno-club “Berghain” by Michael Belhadi.
A small make-up area in the bedroom is represented by the oak custom-made table and the round backlit mirror. The spacious wardrobe separated from the bedroom zone with the curtains in electric blue shade. The mirrored fronts of the units create the illusion of endless space.
