A country retreat, a place intented for a married couple to escape to and from the city on the weekends.
Words by Men Bureau Renderings by Men Bureau
WS HOUSE by MEN BUREAU
TRANSLATING THE BEAUTY IN IMPERFECTION
The Living Room
“Last year, in which we spent months at home, many people have been thinking about what home means for them: whether they are happy or comfortable in their domestic environments. Here, in “WS house”, our customers came to discover the appeal of a slower, more contemplative approach to life.”
When a few years ago a married couple found their charming old house not far from Kyiv, they only ever intended it to be a country retreat, a place to escape to and from the city on the weekends. Then came the pandemic and the couple discovered something of a taste for country life.
The house is surrounded by the unique terrain and the colours of the house which blend into the environment. Being connected with nature again was the owners’ primary need, so it was also the core purpose of the design. Each room welcomes natural light in a way that creates a spacious atmosphere and maximises the views to the surrounding environment. Each room is picturesque in its own way, yet is still modest and feels connected to one another.
‘… this house may have been built 50 years ago, but we now live in 2021. We have to balance preserving the history of the house with making it habitable and adapting it to fit the way our clients want to live.'“
We reassessed how we used some of the rooms – we moved the living room to the position where the dining room was located, for example, because it was initially placed at the front of the home – and we could also see what suited where. For our studio, it is always important to get to know the house we are working with, as it gives you some degree of guidance as to which direction to go in. But it is also important for it not to feel like a museum – this house may have been built 50 years ago, but we now live in 2021.
We have to balance preserving the history of the house with making it habitable and adapting it to fit the way our clients want to live. Therefore, we made several decisions to change the look of the interior of the house, for example - we added rounded corners to various areas and used a large number of circles and arcs. All of the colours we have used were quite neutral and warm where a subdued shade is incorporated to evoke a sense of calm and tranquility throughout the home.
For a timeless design, we looked to a more natural material palette to form the basis of the home. “Bardot” armchairs by Baxter and “Ghost 20” by Gervasoni are the details that make the design timeless. “Bocci 57” lamp in the living room and “Zeppelin” pendant lamp by Flos in the bedroom have been used mostly for decorative purposes because, on the other parts of the house, ceiling lamps appliques serve a functional purpose for lighting.
The use of electronics was minimised in this room, so that it performs as a quiet space for the owners to relax and unwind. The interior of the home has a strong focus on natural materials and texture. The floorboards are European Oak and were meticulously finished on-site with a black resin filling the knots. Deep timbers are the dominant flooring in this house.
The owner, who is an art collector, has artworks from all countries, including our native Ukrainian works by Faina. Here, we can see a contrast of raw and glazed ceramics as a hallmark of the Wabi-Sabi style. All these things share a certain roughness, simplicity, and uniqueness that makes them beautiful, despite their imperfect shape and texture.
The home needed to deliver a slower rhythm and tune in with the environment. The careful planning of the spaces, their volumes or lack of, the crunch of footfall on wood or the soft patter on solid stone, the degree of exposure to light and view... It is these simple tools that we oriented, bringing into focus that which already existed.
Indeed, given how much time we are spending at home in recent months, the physical items we are constantly surrounded by have taken on a more prominent meaning in our lives. The spaces we create reflect us as people, but they also influence our moods and our experiences. The new is interesting and exciting, but we are more excited by the extraordinary than we are by the new, and there are opportunities for the extraordinary buried all through our culture.
The Bedroom
Last year, in which we spent months at home .many people have been thinking about what home means for them: whether they are happy or comfortable in their domestic environments. Here, in “WS house”, our customers came to discover the appeal of a slower, more contemplative approach to life.
For us it was important to create a timeless space with warm, rough, and tactile materials. This bathroom offers a rustic warmth, tranquility, and natural aesthetic. Like the rest of the apartment, the bathroom is not only beautiful but also functional. All taps and mixers in this house were designed by John Pawson for Cocoon company. “Slim Wall Sconce” lighting by Articolo.
Despite its rural look and feel, the apartment is equipped with contemporary amenities that guarantee a comfortable lifestyle for its inhabitants. These principles have produced a house of understated elegance and contemporary minimalism where everything is seamlessly integrated into the building fabric and where bold geometries are combined with materials in their natural unfinished state.
The Wardrobe
Swathed in a muted material palette of marble and hand-brushed plaster, the home has become a place of serenity and reflection. The materiality of grey travertine that will weather over time and of timber boards that are oiled, not sealed, to keep their surface alive to their use - these are real materials that, unlike synthetics, will patina and become improved and more complex with time. They are also materials that are as old as the practice of building itself.
Our studio is not one for big splashes of saturated colour. We much prefer neutral spaces into which you can inject warmth and interest through furniture and objects. Our real passion is for furniture with a unique history. Some of the pieces that are unique for the house are: “Capitol Complex” armchair by Cassina and “Horsehair Sconce” by Apparatus, which is combined with brass and etched glass. We used them to add personality.
The wardrobe area features a marble island and wood cabinetry to conceal possessions that are not necessary for display. Due to the small size of the house, we decided to have a wood floor, to eliminate barriers between different uses and create a spacious effect.
The Kitchen
By enhancing the amount of natural light in the space, darker materials could then be selected. Our bureau selected a dark timber veneer for the kitchen cabinetry because of its striking colour and beautiful natural grain.
Integrated appliances were incorporated to ensure a seamless look, with a focus placed on the materials. The sleekness of the marble countertop in this space gives contrast in texture. Brass details can be seen throughout the home in the hardware and lighting fixtures.
The material palette – which includes dark stained walnut, antique brass, and natural textiles – was informed by the aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi philosophy. It was also important to reuse elements of the palette in interesting ways and make liaisons with it throughout, like the brass lights by Apparatus and the lower part of the kitchen island. Our goal was to create a warm-minimalist and timeless house in tune with its past and the client’s needs. Composed of stone, wood, and brass, the home strikes a textural balance so often missing from obsessively clean-lined contemporary buildings.
