apartment with a total area of ​​210 m2 (Kiev) Vladimir Simonenko

Passing the gallery

Text: Maria Kriger

A photo: Alexey Reydalov

Stylist: Angelica Garusova

Architect: Vladimir Simonenko

Magazine: Na (91) 2005

In each interior there is something important, a starting point, around which all the rest of the action develops. Somewhere the cornerstone is a fireplace, somewhere - an antique buffet, which is dear to the owners of the house, in other situations the designer places the main emphasis on the color and texture of various coatings. In the interior of this apartment the main character became light. Everything else, according to the architect, is only an application to the huge, full-length walls, windows and fabulous landscape behind them The apartment in question is located in a former apartment house built in 1901 in the center of Kiev, and more recently there was an ordinary Soviet communal apartment. When the architect took up the arrangement of this space, the first and, it would seem, the most logical idea was to restore the authentic interior of the house - the modern “a la gothic” of the beginning of the last century. However, already in the process of working on the project, it turned out that this decision was practically impossible to bring to life: the redevelopments made earlier by neighbors from above and below strongly restricted freedom of action. This fact served as the main starting point for creating a modern interior in a loft style. The original layout of the apartment - a room that is very long in length and not too large in width, with a series of windows on the facade - helped to make this decision a reality. The main problem faced by the author of the project was the poor lighting of the house: with the previous arrangement of daylight windows for this area was not enough, the room seemed dusky and rather gloomy. In order to increase the access of sunlight to the apartment, additional window openings were cut: a large window from floor to ceiling between the kitchen and the dining room and a window in the bathroom through which the light penetrates the entrance hall. The dining room has undergone the most significant changes: there is only a small reminder left from the capital exterior wall with a balcony - a pylon in the center of the room. The rest of the part - a large bright room with windows all over the wall - was added directly in the process of reconstruction. According to the architect, the main task - to saturate the house with living daylight and to “let in” the city (the house is located in a very beautiful historical district of Kiev) - was implemented as intelligently as possible. Everything else: wall decoration, ceiling luminaires, furniture and accessories are just a supplement to the bright, living light in the interior.Vladimir Simonenko: "The layout of this apartment was perfect for creating a loft: in this house from bedrooms to a living room about 26 meters. We cut additional windows along the front wall, somewhat changed the general structure of the room and basically achieved everything we wanted: the house turned out spacious, open and light . "