An Elegant Contemporary Apartment with Warm and Timeless Interiors in Kiev

Kiev Apartment is an elegant contemporary home completed by the London-based studio Absolute Interior Decor. It is located in Kiev, Ukraine, and has a warm living room and stylish yet timeless interior.

by Svetlanka Aug 16, 2020 18 Images

Absolute Interior Decor

Kiev Apartment by Absolute Interior Decor

This newly built one bedroom apartment in Kiev measures just 74 square metres (796.5 square feet). The challenge was to transform this into a stylish two bedroom home on a very limited budget.

I felt the original layout of the apartment could be improved to maximise use of the space available, so I first rearranged the interior walls to make a more comfortable space for the living and sleeping zones, creating a enough space now for two bedrooms and two ensuite bathrooms, as well as an open plan living, kitchen and dining area. Space was further increased by installing custom built sliding doors from the living room to the master bedroom, which served to not only add privacy to the bedroom when required, but to provide a much greater feeling of space when left open. Oak panelling added warmth to the bedroom and dark oak flooring enhanced the feeling of luxury throughout the property. There was a structural supporting column in the centre of the apartment which proved convenient to extend the wall so that I could create a separate entrance corridor. On the other side of this wall I incorporated a bio fuel fireplace with a recessed flat panel television above, providing an attractive and practical feature for the living area creating a seamless modern contemporary feel. The ‘floating’ impression of this wall feature was achieved by LED lighting housed in a recess along the base of the wall. The bio fuel fireplace is very practical and doesn’t require gas or electricity mains connection, or a flue for ventilation, so they can be positioned almost
anywhere and add depth and comfort to any property. They are safe to use and can be installed at a relatively modest cost of approximately €1000.

Working with the La Fibule gave me access to a tremendous choice of fabrics and colours and I used a luxury soft velvet to upholster the sofa and chairs in the living room. This was complemented by a a pair of elegant marble-topped occasional tables. Lighting is very important to me and plays a crucial role in any design process. I worked with SLV in Germany to find suitable soft lighting to highlight the beauty of the texture and colours of the walls, furniture and objet d’art.

The kitchen furniture was designed to both provide a clean and contemporary finish, combined with maximum practicality. Having a open plan kitchen diner and sitting area is so convenient and practical for modern living.

All the bedroom wardrobes were discretely built-in with a seamless finish. A small discreet working area was designed to be almost invisible from the master bedroom, placed next to the windows which were dressed with soft custom made white curtain from SACHO fabric. The choice of fabric should never be overlooked in the design process and I always believe in giving this the same attention as choosing an elegant dress. Similarly the bed linen should provide an added touch of elegance and I used Frette for the bedlinen who have a wonderful choice of luxurious lines to choose from.

I like to incorporate beautiful mirrors in my interiors too and the limited space I had, benefited from their positioning throughout to optimise light reflection and create the illusion of a larger space, while at the same time being careful not to overwhelm the design and ensuring they complemented the space.

No design is complete without at least one special item and I found some fabulous polished metal furniture and objet d’art from Megaron in Turkey. I used classic trunks from the Kelly Hoppen furniture collection for the bedside tables in the master bedroom and solid gloss painted tree trunks for the bedside tables in the guest bedroom. Fresh flowers always add a burst of colour and freshness to any room with endless wonderful choices.

The rest of the design provides harmony with neutral tones of the finished walls, furniture and accessories to provide a clean and timeless composition, satisfying the aims of the project and the client’s brief which was all achieved with a very modest budget.

Photos courtesy of Absolute Interior Decor