RiverStone: Space, Context, Accent

Architect
Laurie Brothers
A type
apartment
Status
implemented
Year
2022
Size
140 m2

Comfort is a rather subjective thing. For some, these are chamber spaces, personalized with decor; for someone, on the contrary, a large amount of space, white walls and only a few bright, "own" accents. Minimalism in the modern sense is not so much a story about asceticism, but a demonstration of a competent ability to distribute accents in rooms. It was according to this principle that the new project of the Lauri Brothers studio was designed - a spacious apartment of 140 m2.

From the beginning, these were two adjacent apartments, later combined into one. The customers are a married couple. For the most part, their request was to create a minimalistic, spacious home without unnecessary details or the accumulation of massive wardrobes. The apartment is located in Kyiv, in the RiverStone residential complex, and the main areas have a living room combined with an open kitchen space, as well as a large master bedroom and a guest room, which in the future can be turned into a children's room.

The living room of the project is a vivid example of what artistic potential can be revealed in utilitarian and at first glance even "inconvenient" details, if you treat them with due attention and approach the work creatively. Here, such a detail became a "native" polished concrete column that conventionally divides the living room space in half. So, the designers turned it from an inconveniently located barrier into a meaningful part of the interior: it is this column that now delimits the rest area and the work space with a table that seems to "grow" from a large rack - the only open storage system that the customer insisted on.

The column would not have such a leading visual role if it were not for the well-chosen furnishings and decor. The most spectacular color spot in the composition of the living room was the modular sofa from the Interia company - the Pearl model, made in emerald shade upholstery. The sofa seems to wrap around the concrete column, turning it from a simple physical barrier into a kind of support for a resting place. The loft texture of polished concrete (the only detail in this style for the entire project) is also accentuated by the spectacular paintings of the Swedish studio Criss Bellini, located on both sides of the column.

The kitchen is made in a more restrained style. The customers like to cook, so they asked for a large work surface and a sufficient amount of space. Lauri Brothers made a massive island in the middle of the kitchen area, decorated with textured dark Inalco tiles that imitate a stone texture with contrasting white veins. Chairs for the bar and adjacent dining areas were chosen by designers from the Gia room company.

So that the kitchen set and sideboard do not disturb the atmosphere of light minimalism and compositionally do not conflict with the accent island, they were made in matte white color, which seemed to "dissolve" the surfaces in a neutral background. In their own projects, Lauri Brothers have repeatedly demonstrated their love for creating different scenarios of accent lighting - and so here: in the evening, due to light strips and lighting of storage areas, you can create a unique lighting of the premises that would match the mood.

Corridor space due to the use of laconic fittings of cabinets and doors of hidden installation appears to be a completely white, extremely minimalistic space. One such door leads to the master bedroom. Its interior is designed discreetly, without bright colors. The only zonal accents are a corner wall fragment decorated with walnut veneer, as well as a dressing table with a large mirror, which can also be used as an additional work area.

The master's bathroom can be accessed directly from the bedroom. Due to the sufficient area, it was possible to place both a spacious shower cabin and a bathtub here. In general, the interior of the bathroom gives the impression of a balanced black and white composition of cubic arrays, here and there also accented with warm light. Stylish, minimalist, attractive in its conciseness — like the entire River Stone project in general.

 

Text: Daryna Karapetyan