Elena Petrescu Creates a Calm Oasis For a Home Outside Kiev

For a home nestled in a pine forest near Kiev, Ukraine, chief designer Elena Petrescu of L. Petresku Studio wanted to let the beauty of nature into the house. Inspired by concrete—one of the client’s favorite materials—the palette tilted natural with plenty of wood, ceramic, and metal. The kitchen was kept minimal, with a focus on clean lines and clarity of function. “I worked to create an interior with a sensual personality and at the same time make it ‘basic,’” the designer explains. The energy of nature is seen in the three bathrooms, including a sensual marble tub in the master bathroom mixing with concrete-like ceramic tile. In the rest of the house, Petrescu added unique works by Ukrainian designers and artists alongside some iconic pieces by Marcel Breuer and others. Throughout the rooms, the designer succeeded in her quest for a state of “captured calmness.”