Ater Architects revamps Kyiv creative agency to look more like an apartment
Vintage furnishings, artworks, and quirky touches like leftover paint swatches create a homely feel inside this office in Kyiv designed by local practice Ater Architects.
The office is located at the heart of Kyiv's historical district and belongs to independent creative agency Banda, which asked Ater Architects to veer away from typical workplace design.
"The clients wanted a cozy space that felt more like a large, bright apartment," confirmed the practice's co-founder, Yulia Tkachenko.
To enter the office, which sits on the second floor of an early 20th-century building, employees come through an oak-lined reception area.
There used to be a suspended ceiling here but it was removed, revealing ornate plaster moulding which had to be carefully restored.
In deliberate contrast to these old decorative features, the practice has inserted contemporary furniture pieces, including a stainless steel desk, a minimalist disc-shaped light and a glass-fronted coat rack.
A doorway leads through to the waiting room, which has been dressed with vintage red chairs from Swiss manufacturer Dietiker, as well as a playful rabbit painting by Ukrainian artist Danik Manzhos.
Then follows the office's expansive main hall, where staff can gather for meetings or collaborative teamwork.
It's anchored by a large 12-seater table that's surrounded by plywood chairs from the 1980s. Directly overhead hangs a colourful canvas by another local artist, Serhii Dekaliuk.
Around the edge of the hall are additional seating areas, styled as if they're in a domestic setting; sofas and comfy armchairs converge around coffee tables, accompanied by floor lamps, bookshelves, and potted plants.
More plants have been placed among tables in the staff dining area, which boasts vintage metal-framed chairs from Italian brand Castelli.
The nearby kitchen has timber cabinetry, a steel breakfast island and a bubbled lighting fixture. Daubed around the room's windows are test applications of white paint that Ater Architects left in place to nod to the imperfections often seen around the home.
Curtained doorways in the main hall grant access to two further rooms, inside each of which the practice has erected a timber volume.
One volume accommodates the office bathroom, which features ochre-yellow surfaces and a striking quartzite sink.
The other contains a private meeting room and a couple of Zoom booths with fuzzy walls upholstered in a white shearling-style fabric.
On top of this volume, there's also a restful nook padded out with cushions covered in a cloud motif, accessed via a steel ladder.
Formal workstations have been designated to the office's mezzanine level.
There's also a staff workshop for "experiments and creative exploration", complete with an aluminium pegboard for hanging tools and materials.
Other recently completed workspaces with eye-catching interiors include this podcasting office in Oslo, where a mix of bold and muted colours has been used to capture the moods of different departments.
There's also an HQ of a London wine merchant that features a giant marble tasting spittoon.
The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.
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