June 25, 2020

Alexandrine Lukach’s Kiev Apartment Redo is a Therapeutic Study in Contrasts

Rethinking the Soviet industrial legacy might be considered lofty goals for an apartment interior. Yet Alexandrine Lukach of Intemporary Design Studio calls the work of the 42 Ukrainian artists and designers that outfit this Kiev apartment “psychotherapeutic.” Many of the featured designers upcycle industrial objects—especially Lukach’s favorites like Tasha Oro, Alla Zhmaylo, and Olesia Dvorak-Galik—and all display craftsmanship rooted in Ukrainian materials and techniques.

Further similarities are more subtle. Lukach fluently mixes different epochs and styles across the 3,100-square-foot apartment, trending towards bold and bright accents that lend a younger, contemporary feel to the classical 1936 apartment, home to an art collector and family. Lukach drew from her extensive experience working with local craftspeople to redesign the three-bedroom apartment in just two and a half months, incorporating 196 new-wave Ukrainian objects. That’s far less time than it took to abolish Stalinism. The results are complexly layered, yet seamless.

Found objects are incorporated in Tasha Oro’s sculpture Lyalka-motanka, named after the traditional Ukrainian dolls believed to protect children. Photography by Andrey Avdeenko.
Another group of sculptures by Tasha Oro adorns a side table in the living room. Photography by Andy Liffner.
The sculptural table runner that adorns the kitchen table, by contemporary artist Alla Zhmaylo, uses mesh and rubber cut from old lorry tires. Photography by Andrey Avdeenko.
In the living room, the coffee table’s Diplodocus tail sculpture by Olesia Dvorak-Galik is comprised of industrial found objects. Photography by Andy Liffner.
Additional mesh-and-tire sculptures by Alla Zhmaylo adorn the walls in the living room, where paint and paneling were existing. Photography by Andrey Avdeenko.
Marble flooring and wallpaper in the common areas and bathrooms were kept intact from the apartment’s previous restoration and renovation. Photography by Andy Liffner.
In the apartment’s gym, additional sculptures in Tasha Oro’s Lyalka-motanka series adorn a wall shelf. The rug is designed by Oksana Levchenya and made by OLK Manufactory. Photography by Andrey Avdeenko.
In a corner of the master bathroom, a leather-covered chair designed by Sergey Lvov for Levantin Design sits beneath a mirror designed by Ihor Havrylenko for hi atelier. Photography by Andy Liffner.

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