RINA LOVKO STUDIO
REINTERPRETING VINTAGE FLAIR
Rina Lovko Studio transforms a century old apartment in Kyiv into a haven of vintage flair and nuanced sophistication reminiscent of Paris.
Words by Rina Lovko Studio
Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko
Rina Lovko Studio transforms a century old apartment in Kyiv into a haven of vintage flair and nuanced sophistication reminiscent of Paris.
The apartment is located on the 4th floor of a residential house, which was built in 1905, in the historical area of Kyiv. The space itself is luminous: all the windows overlook a quiet green park, and the light freely streams through them. Because of the state of the building, a massive renovation of the flat was required. The process of dismantling revealed the rotten slabs and large cracks in the walls, and that flooring replacement is needed.
The client is a young woman, a fashion insider with a strong vision. This project was all about aesthetics and it was entirely designed to meet her requirements and standards of beauty. The client has a fascination with Paris and so the team’s target was to recreate a flair of a vintage apartment. Their solution was not to copy the “Parisian chic” tricks, avoiding the ornamental plaster and other obvious elements of direct quotation of this style. The focus was shifted to natural textures, a combination of softness and determined details, and an overall airiness and nuanced sophistication.
The walls were painted on top of plaster, with the deep texture being left as it is. The angle between walls and ceiling was smoothed out — this was a popular solution for the old flats in Kyiv.
Due to the state of the structure of the existing building, a complete overhaul of the apartment was required, enhancing the slabs and walls. The old wooden inner walls were damaged by humidity and wood pests, and had to be removed completely. The original parquet was also disassembled, upgraded with a welded structure poured with concrete. The balcony was also enhanced, where the walls were strengthened with special ties to pull together the frame.
In terms of the design process, the team opted for a time-tested scheme for spatial arrangement, which is an enfilade. Given that the apartment is one-sided, it was decided that a long and functional hallway was required, containing an entrance wardrobe, a guest restroom, and a laundry area. The kitchen was also placed close to the living room entrance, and a cabinet with a refrigerator and an oven is a stand-alone element within this space. The team managed to eschew the standardised modern solutions for the kitchen area where all the elements are built-in wall units. The bedroom can also be seen through the double door from the living room, and the bedroom and bathroom are separated with a glass partition. A private zone is kept at the end of an enfilade, and with this, the bathroom fulfils this role. Consequently, the whole living area turned out to be bright and roomy, and the enfilade principle makes one area open up to another, creating a coherent space. This airiness extends the apartment visually.
