Perched excessive above Kyiv’s proper financial institution of the Dnipro River, this 1,141-square-foot, one-bedroom house is something however odd. Designed by Ukrainian studio metric bureau for a original couple and their cat, the Residence with a Lizard is a fearless exploration of daring design decisions. “Our shoppers have been open to taking dangers,” says Svitlana Moskalenko, designer and founding father of metric bureau. “They cared most concerning the emotional expertise – dramatic imagery, contrasting colours, and unique concepts.” One companion, with a vogue background, envisioned one thing with the aptitude of a cosmic carnival – dramatic, unconventional, and dripping with persona. The opposite sought tranquil retreats for still reflection. The result’s a dreamy house that balances coloration and tranquil, the place theatrical moments meet useful ease.
From the second you step inside, the house units the tone. A monochrome pink entryway – partitions, ceiling, and even the featherlight – looks like stepping right into a room in a dollhouse. Sliding glass separates this punch of coloration from the remainder of the house, the place the dwelling space is anchored in deep inexperienced. At its heart, an enormous round opening lined in fake fur turns into each a focus and a meditative escape. As an alternative of a lounge chair, the portal invitations you to lean in, look out, and have interaction with the skyline from the Twenty sixth-floor balcony, tiled in a rippling, water-like sample.
Ukrainian-made items convey heat and identification to the lounge: a blue L-shaped couch by SVOYA Studio, a sculptural Woo armchair, and a mushroom-like Pecherytsia espresso desk. Alpi veneer, designed by postmodern grasp Ettore Sottsass, backs the built-in steel shelving, including a layer of artistry to the couple’s curated assortment of books and objects.
Recessed into the entryway’s partitions are steel cabinets to carry the couple’s sneakers in an neat vogue. Simply above, hidden panels disguise uncomplicated entry to the house’s technical techniques.
The kitchen is simply as distinctive, with cabinetry in the identical inexperienced because the dwelling space and a mirrored concrete pylon that lightens the room’s structure. A pink Alpi veneer accents the higher cupboards, whereas a whimsical portrait of a lizard in formal apparel – a piece by Ukrainian artist Valery Kuznetsov – presides over the area. Round a round eating desk, mismatched pink and white chairs maintain the temper playful, lit from above by a felt pendant lamp from Danish model Audo.
The bed room, designed round an outsized customized mattress (with over 75 sq. ft of sleeping area!), channels fantasy by Italian wallpaper by Wall&Deco and a glowing, eclipse-inspired mirror. A fringe-trimmed self-importance and lamps add to the theatricality, whereas chain curtains reveal a modern, all-black dressing room. Even the toilet is dramatic that includes contrasting cobalt partitions with a hanging pink sink and shelving – plus a tactful, cat-friendly cupboard entrance to the litter field.
Moskalenko calls the house one of many studio’s most daring tasks thus far, an area the place the shoppers’ willingness to take dangers allowed for an inside that’s as emotionally charged as it’s livable. It’s an house the place each element – from a fur-lined portal to a dressed-up lizard – tells a narrative, blurring the road between on a regular basis life and a stage set for the creativeness.
The balcony is clad in Seletti water-like flooring tiles and black mosaic tile partitions and stepped benches, all leading to a swimming pool really feel.
Svitlana Moskalenko, founding father of metric bureau
To study extra concerning the Residence with a Lizard and metric bureau, head to metricbureau.com.
