Initially, a client requested to design a dark bachelor pad. The concept changed drastically during the remodeling process. After the false ceiling dismantling, an original stucco decoration was unexpectedly found, and the designer wanted to keep it in the new interior. Also, one more thing that changed was the marital status of the client. So the apartment for a single man has turned into a place for a couple with the cat. Having reconsidered the plan, we only kept a kitchen with a copper façade from the initial design concept.

Free planning was the drastic architectural solution that absolutely changed the vibe of the apartment. To unite the space into one large volume all inner walls were removed. Consequently, the living room, a kitchen, and a library with a double bed in the far corner fit into one room. The owners like to have people round, and the big living room was important to them. So it was decided to keep all the other rooms as small as it was possible. The bathroom is separated by a partition of structured glass. You can get there from the corridor as well as from the bedroom corner.

The stucco medallion on the ceiling and the molding around the perimeter, which had remained from the original decoration of the space, were kept, renovated, and stylistically fit in a new design. The owner of the place has a significant and impressive book collection as he is fond of reading. So the big book rack was as necessary as the comfortable armchair with the coffee table next to it.

An old piano has become a part of the interior almost by accident. During the remodeling period, the owner rented the other apartment with the piano. There he began to learn to play, and that fascinated him. While he was in Berlin, he came to the vintage market and was eager to buy a beautiful vintage piano for his renovated apartment. He sent 20 photos of different instruments to the designer Natalie Dubrovska, and she picked a model that had compact size and was produced in the middle of the XX century. When the piano was shipped to Kyiv, they found out that it was in good condition, and no repair was required, just stringing.

The interior color palette is warm. The dominant color accent is the copper façade of the kitchen, which oxygenates and gets even deeper shade with time passing. The main surfaces are the original red brick on the walls, oak herringbone parquet, walnut veneer on the dining table, black granite on the kitchen tabletop. Paintings by Anna Scherbyna and Alina Yakubenko that were bought from The Naked Room gallery in Kyiv became an emotional accent of the space.

I aimed to create an apartment where you do not feel like it was newly designed, perfectly overthought, or artificial. I want that from the first day the client feels the space is their lovely home. The place with a hidden personal history. The place where you choose to come back from the office or a long journey. – said an architect Natalie Dubrovska.

Brands in the interior:
Fritz Hansen – Analog table, design Jaime Hayon
Fredericia – J39 Mogensen Chairs (1947), design Børge Mogensen
AndTradition – Boomerang armchair, design Hvidt & Mølgaard
Vitra – Stools coffee table (1960), design Charles and Ray Eames
Gubi – 9602 Floor Lamp (1935), design Paavo Tynell
Staritska Maysternya – Tini L coffee table, design Natalia Bulanova and FORM bureau
Menu – Troll Vase, design Anderssen & Voll
Berker 1930 – electrical outlets

*Stalinka –colloquial name for brick apartment buildings constructed in the USSR from the late 1930s to the mid-60s.

Text: courtesy of Dubróvska Studio