Hayloft Apartment
Designed by loft buro, this spacious, two-bedroom apartment in Kiev is filled with vintage and antique furnishings and an exuberant collection of artworks that explore concepts of tradition and memory.
Refurbished lofts are associated with a minimalist aesthetic of industrial sophistication so it’s refreshing to find a project that adopts a radically different approach. While exposed concrete columns, metal decking and salvaged brickwork evoke the design of typical loft conversions, ornate elements such as carved wall panelling, antique woodwork, hand-crafted ceramic tiling and hand-sculpted stone basins both soften and enrich the industrial undertones of the once derelict commercial building.
At the heart of the apartment, the double-height, open-plan living and dining area features colonial-style ceiling fans and an emerald green-tiled furnace that was typical in Kiev houses in the 17th and 18th centuries. The adjacent kitchen, which is tucked underneath the mezzanine level, combines an elemental palette of stainless steel, natural wood and textured marble, with state-of-the-art appliances, while the master bedroom upstairs was conceived as an inner sanctum with imposing, ancient-looking double doors guarding the entry.
The apartments’ stylistic eclecticism is crowned by a collection of vintage finds, antique pieces and contemporary furniture, including bespoke light fitting by local designers and the architects themselves, which is complemented by a evocative selection of colourful tapestries and artworks like the pair of Soviet space dogs, Belka and Strelka, that great visitors at the entrance.
Design: loft buro
Photography: Andrey Avdeenko
