Masha Golubka: Maya, you sold an office for rent. Have you already had investment projects in your practice?
Maya Cormorant: I really like the subject of investments. Forbes recently wrote about her, by the way. I have a lot of experience in the implementation of the interiors of apartments for rent, and the office is the first time in practice.
MG: How long ago did the idea of investing in the design of apartments for rent become popular in Ukraine?
M. B .: Previously, real estate was rarely bought for this purpose. It was mostly like this: you inherited an old housing stock, repaired it, and let it out. The idea of buying a home and investing in design has gained popularity over the past 5 years. But, unfortunately, we have not yet developed a culture of work in this direction. People think that the apartment pays for itself within three years and set such a goal, but this is a myth, of course. In addition, they believe: if the apartment is for rent, then you need to invest a minimum and get as much as possible at the exit. But it doesn't work like that. Apartments with such a good repair are rented out for less money. The math is simple: the bigger the investment, the bigger the return.
Maria Golubka, editor of PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA, and Maya Baklan, author and designer of the project
M.G.: In your investment projects, is it possible to make high-quality repairs or does the investor save money?
M. B .: Fortunately, I work in a segment where the customer is ready to invest in design and understands that there are things that should not be saved: engineering communications, lighting, basic finishing materials. This is an investment for the future. That way, you won't have to spend on repairs in the future, and the delivery price will also be higher. It is a question of proportions. In most cases, people do not analyze the market themselves, but look at what others are doing and copy it. Therefore, it is important to show good examples with high-quality and modern design.
MG: Let's go back to the realized office. What are the advantages of such a space? How does this format differ from renting in a business center?
M. B .: If the customer wants a unique, atypical interior, he will not rent an office at Gulliver or Parus. This is a completely different format. Everyone is tired of standard boring offices and wants something special. It should be not only a place for work, but also for rest, development, team building; a place with a special atmosphere, where you not only need, but also want to come. We focused on this idea when we worked on the project.
MG: With an interior for a specific customer who chose a specific room and a specific design, everything is clear. But in this project, the client was not defined from the beginning. Is there no risk that the space will be left without an owner and the investor's spent funds will not be returned?
MB: Regarding profitability in this case, it is important to calculate everything correctly. This space has too many advantages to remain without an owner. It is a space in the city center with a good square footage, modern technology and quality design.
If the customer wants a unique, atypical interior, he will not rent an office at Gulliver or Parus. This is a completely different format. Everyone is tired of standard boring offices and wants something special
M. G.: What are the differences between the implementation of a regular office and an office for rent? What difficulties did you face?
M. B .: In office design, everything happens according to a standard scheme. When the client's rent is sharply increased, he urgently needs to move to a new premises. The HR department selects the location based on price and area, without considering other aspects. The client does not want to wait for the project, which is implemented for an average of three months.
Real estate is searched for in a hurry, and repairs are made in a hurry. As a result, the design is far from perfect. In investment projects, everything is thought out in advance. Here we got a space with great potential, we had enough time for working documentation, so we managed to think through everything to the smallest detail, competently design engineering networks, optimize the budget by preparing estimates.
Maya Baklan and Maria Golubka in the office library
MG: Did you manage to calculate everything correctly and stick to the budget? Were all ideas implemented?
M. B .: Yes, completely. Some small things had to be replaced, but insignificant. In general, everything corresponds to the proposed project, even small funds remained to make a beautiful entrance door to the entrance in a historical style.
MG: What business is this space intended for? Will there be one company or several at the same time?
M. B .: Before implementing the project, we analyzed several working models. They chose between a co-working space and an office with separate offices. Coworking would be very expensive for users and would be uncompetitive in the market. The scheme with the division of offices for different companies turned out to be difficult from the point of view of the stability of the rent and regular earnings of the investor. The best option turned out to be an office for one company.
MG: But you don't know which company will come here. How to work with the interior?
MB: In such cases, I believe, the customer must be invented. In the process of work, I kept in my head the image of all my previous clients for whom I designed offices. We tried to create a universal space so that it would be convenient for a person of any modern profession.
Art object of Maria Kulikovska
M. G.: What functional areas and premises are located here?
MB: A reception area greets you at the entrance. Opposite the administrator's desk there is a roomy wardrobe for outerwear - we made it in the place of the former opening. There is a separate print point in the closet niche in the entrance area. Next, there are several work rooms, a small Skype room and meeting rooms, two of which can be combined into one with the help of a transforming partition.
There is a kitchen with all the necessary appliances and equipment (microwave oven, sink, dishwasher and refrigerator), very comfortable bathrooms with a shower and a window, a utility room with a server room, and finally, the most interesting area is a large library with a bar and access to the summer terrace .
MG: What requirements did the "fictitious customer" dictate to you during the implementation of the project?
M. B .: It is necessary to take into account the basic needs, without which it will be difficult to be at your workplace. First of all, this is technical equipment: systems for ensuring the temperature regime, room humidity, noise insulation, correctly selected lighting equipment.
Maya Cormorant against the background of Oleksandr Bogomaz's abstraction
MG: Tell us more about the lighting, air conditioning, and security system at the facility.
M. B .: Initially, there were severe restrictions on electricity, as this house belongs to an old housing stock. With the conversion of the space into a commercial format, new requirements for technical equipment appeared. We installed an additional 40 kW at the facility to connect ventilation, air conditioning, and electrical appliances.
A lot of attention was paid to the light engineering calculation, the lamps were selected based on the lighting temperature, the scattering angle, and the intensity of the light flow. It is very important that the light is not too cold and too bright, and that the light sources are conveniently located relative to the workplaces.
A central air conditioning system is designed here. All equipment is hidden behind the suspended ceiling. Notice how the custom channel holes are made in the plasterboard: this is a great alternative to ventilation grills, an effective and aesthetic solution.
We thought about security. A video surveillance system is installed here, externally controlled blinds are on all windows, there are rooms with limited access - entrance by electronic cards.
Maya Cormorant and Maria Golubka against the background of Serhii Kondratyuk's wall painting
MG: In connection with the quarantines, many Kyiv offices are empty, they began to reduce the space, companies are switching to the online mode. Have you noticed this trend and taken it into account in the project?
M. B .: Now they are trying not to reduce the area of offices, but rather to make them more flexible. Most office workers, including my studio staff, want to work half the week in the office and half the week from home, so creating workspaces for different shifts and multiple users is relevant. We have foreseen stationary and "floating" workplaces.
MG: What else guided you in the organization of workplaces?
M. B .: The concept of open space used to be popular, but now it is increasingly being abandoned - it is uncomfortable for a large number of employees to be in one space all day at the same time. The optimal number of people in a room is up to 12, so we made several rooms of different capacities in view of the regulatory requirements for the area. All offices were designed in such a way that they must have a window.
In the arrangement of the tables, seating with the back to the door was avoided; desktops are not of classic size (60x120 mm), but enlarged (1400x700 mm) to accommodate two monitors. In addition to ergonomics, attention was paid to aesthetics. We wanted to avoid the typical office furniture that everyone is tired of. It was possible to find armchairs without the "classic" shiny Profim leg. This is the only manufacturer with a matching color palette. The tables were made in an elegant white color. Each workroom has landscaping, beautiful details, and painting.
The concept of open space used to be popular, but now it is increasingly being abandoned - it is uncomfortable for a large number of employees to be in one space all day at the same time
MG: What materials did you use? What do you recommend for the implementation of commercial interiors?
M. B .: First of all, the interior style was dictated by the mood, the spirit of the place. We started from the materials that were here in the beginning and tried to preserve and emphasize them. It is a shame that the historic stucco on the ceiling was badly damaged and could not be saved, but we decorated the library with modern decor in a classical style - for atmosphere.
Do you see this brickwork of incredible beauty? These are native walls, their texture is the richest in the interior, we made the rest of the surface decoration neutral. So the background of the walls does not contradict the art that the artists left here.
In general, durable, wear-resistant materials were chosen. All rooms have natural parquet on the floor. It is easy to care for, easy to restore and generally ages well. In the bathrooms, we used the traditional "boar" tile of the Ukrainian manufacturer, although it was difficult to find it with a matte surface, but we managed. In the kitchen, FunderMax panels were chosen for the design of the apron — an alternative to stained glass.
Maya Baklan: "I wanted employees to bring their books here"
MG: What features of the interior distinguish this office from others?
M. B .: The most unusual zone is the library, a space where you can relax, distract yourself from routine work, reflect, change the environment, and be alone with your thoughts. I call it "the place of silence". Here, old brick walls, high shelves (I want people to bring their books here), elegant velor armchairs in a noble green shade, a French fireplace, an unusual lamp that gives an accent decorative light - all these elements create a special, slightly mysterious atmosphere, which complements wall paintings and sculptures.
But the "place of silence" can easily turn into a noisy space when employees gather for a party. For this format, we provided a bar counter, into which we integrated all the necessary equipment, including a coffee machine.
MG: Tell us about the design of the bar counter. It seems very sculptural.
M. B .: For its decoration, tiles from the Spanish manufacturer Mutina were used. In the process of implementation, we slightly expanded the dimensions of the rack, and the ordered material was not enough. Then an interesting fact emerged - it turned out that we were the first in Ukraine to work with this tile. I was very surprised. Since the deadlines were already very tight and we could not wait for an additional order, some of the elements were made by hand by a Ukrainian ceramist.
Behind the bar, on the wall you can see a painting by Igor Selemenev - its plot is decorated with a quote from the composition of the legendary band Joy Division: "Love, love will tear us apart again".
Wall painting by Nikita Vlasov
M. G.: How did the idea to place modern art in the office area come about? How did you meet the artists and invite them? Who are they?
M. B .: I wanted to enliven the work space, to bring art into it, so that artists would leave their mark. In this project, I had my first collaboration with artists. Khrystyna Vlasova introduced me to them. Mykyta Vlasov, Igor Selemenev, Lida Moroz, Sasha Bogomaz, Serhiy Kondratyuk, Dima Tarasenko, Yura Musatov, Volodymyr Sai, Masha Kulikovska worked here. These are all young artists united by one creative collaboration — Art Workshops of the Kyiv Institute of Automation, art space on Tatarka. By the way, they have an open house every Tuesday, you can come and get acquainted with art, it's very interesting there.
Working with artists means unwittingly becoming a participant in their unusual world. They are so, you know, very thin. Everyone wanted to work on the object alone, in silence, so that no one else was present, did not interfere with immersing themselves in art. But we only had a week to implement all art objects and paintings, and we had to start some processes in parallel. The company turned out to be very organized and managed to meet the required deadlines, although everyone says that creative people have the hardest time with deadlines.
MG: What ideas did the artists implement? According to what principle were the works placed?
MB: In this project, I set myself the task of creating something positive, bright, ironic, even if only black is used. I wanted the works to radiate joy and zest for life. Each artist was allocated his own wall, not a canvas: I wanted the art here to be permanent, irreplaceable. I chose the places for the future painting so that when viewing each of them from any angle, art objects of other artists would not come into view, that is, no work would argue with others.
Wall painting by Ihor Selemenev
This is how Sashko Bogomaz's abstraction appeared, Lida Moroz's "Oyster Woman", black and white characters in Nikita Vlasov's office. Ihor Selemenev, as I have already said, painted the wall behind the bar in the library and left a small plot on the terrace. Serhiy Kondratyuk performed horizontal work on the wall in the meeting room. Dima Tarasenko created a very unusual print from colorful bananas in a Skype room.
Really looks like wallpaper? From the sculptures, the works of Yura Musatov are presented here - everything you see in the niches. This is ceramics. On a shelf in the library is a sculpture of an elderly woman, made by Volodymyr Sai. Masha Kulikovska "walled" her feet in the wall - an art object made of resin. I really like such unusual details.
M. G.: How expensive is this project for you personally?
M. B .: In the process of working on this project, I was lucky to meet very talented, cool professionals: both general construction contractors and manufacturers. And artists, of course. I will be happy to continue our cooperation in other projects. There is nothing more pleasant than meeting the "right" people to implement the conceived ideas. It is really very valuable. And in general, it's wonderful that we managed to realize such an unusual interior of the office, that our team was able to think through everything to the smallest detail. I put my emotions, soul, a lot of love into it and was in the process from the beginning to the very finish.
You can read more about this interior in the article
https://pragmatika.media/ru/project/zona-tishiny-ofisnoe-prostranstvo-ot-maya-baklan/
