An apartment with charisma from Between the Walls

It happens that a charismatic personality combines several traits that could seem to belong to completely different people. You want to watch such people, their lives are more interesting than movies. The same with this interior - on a small area, it combines several different styles that coexist in a common space without any buffer zones or smooth transitions, forming a unique harmony. It has a place for vintage carpets, an uncompromisingly green wardrobe, concrete ceilings and the aesthetics of "grandmother's house".

The two-room apartment is located on the 16th floor of an 18-story building in the modern residential complex "Comfort Town" on the left bank of Kyiv.

When the owner of the apartment approached the designers, she had a number of wishes. A significant part of them concerned not aesthetics, but technical solutions that determine the quality of life. The client follows a healthy lifestyle, practices mindfulness and at the same time professes hedonism. She devotes a lot of time to sports, travels on non-touristic routes and is one of the founders of the social movement Femen.

Space

"At the stage of discussing references, the client chose the boldest decisions. It is because of this lack of fear, as well as trust in professionalism, that I like to cooperate with creative people," says Victoria Kareva, chief designer of Between the Walls studio.

The main requirement of the client was the highest quality water purification system, a premium-class washer-dryer for the care of branded items, a projector that broadcasts the highest quality picture on the wall in the living room. At the same time, some usual attributes of comfort were categorically unnecessary. Yes, the apartment does not have air conditioning or a dishwasher. A warm floor is also not provided, because the client believes that the feet should be hardened with cool surfaces.

Among the aesthetic wishes was a bright green color, which reflects the client's unbridled energy. It was embodied in the facade of a large kitchen cabinet that hides a built-in refrigerator, storage areas and a wine cooler. The kitchen table and shelves on the wall are a tribute of love to the American minimalist Donald Judd.

The centerpiece of the minimalist living room is a pale pink velvet sofa with a projector suspended above it. The opposite wall is covered with a special paint that ensures flawless image transmission.

Another stylistic wish of the client was "Grandma's style" in the bedroom. It was expressed through warm-hued parquet, rounded forms of lamps, two vintage rugs and a vintage mirror in the adjacent dressing area. On the ceiling of the bedroom above the bed is a large wooden propeller, which is also a chandelier. The concrete ceiling, which seems to break the laws of the genre, emphasizes that before us is not one hundred percent hygge, but elegant stylization. "A concrete ceiling is a solution that successfully combines plane and texture. This is one of my favorite techniques, and my own apartment also has a concrete ceiling. I like to look at her "natural" patterns before going to bed," shares the co-founder of the studio, Victoria Kareva.

The bathroom belonging to the master bedroom is raised on a podium and separated by a terracotta curtain. The combination of traditional tiles, stone on the countertop, and a mirror stylized as an antique makes the aesthetics of this space close to the classics.

Circumstance

The start of the project was planned for February 2022, but it was at this time that the Russian invasion took place and the war began in Ukraine. The situation was uncertain and for a while all projects stopped. However, six months later, in the summer, the client reported that she did not want to put her life on hold and was ready to start renovating her new apartment.

At that time, there were frequent power outages in Kyiv, air-raid sirens rang out several times a week, and Russian missiles or drones flew there from time to time. Kyiv only learned to live and maintain productivity during the war. Logistics chains were also disrupted - many international companies stopped working in Ukraine, the market for designer products impoverished. Therefore, part of the items for this project were bought and brought from France, where the chief designer and co-founder of the studio, Victoria Kareva, was at that time.

Creating new projects at such a time is a kind of manifesto of faith in the future of our country. No matter how long the war lasts, this is no reason to stop or lower the professional bar. In these conditions, hedonism becomes a superpower, and the desire to live every day mindfully and in a beautiful space commands considerable respect.

Photo: Andriy Bezuglov