景观小巷丨乌克兰基辅丨Yana Molodykh

Landscape alley

Location - Kyiv, Ukraine

Year - 2024Design - Yana MolodykhPhoto - Yevhenii Avramenko

Text- Aditi Sharma

Every home tells a story, and this 786 sq.ft. Kyiv apartment has an especially fascinating one. To begin with, its very postcode speaks of royalty – the apartment is located in Ukranian capital’s ‘Golden Triangle’ where the princes of Kyivan Rus once lived. Befittingly, the building stands on the slope of Annalistic Hill, offering a panoramic view of Podil and Kyiv’s left bank.

Its prime position aside, the building was constructed circa 1911. The apartment, largely untouched for decades, was once home to businessman Felix Lvovych, who emigrated to America with his family in the 1960s. During his time in Kyiv, he fell in love with the apartment – so much so that, despite listing it with real estate agencies for quite some time, he could never bring himself to part with it. For years, he waited for the right buyer, and eventually, met the current owners and was convinced they were the perfect match for a home of this stature. The new owners – a Ukrainian wife and Dutch husband who are currently based in Dubai – were personally given a tour of the apartment by Felix, who wanted to guide them through every detail of the space. Thrilled yet overwhelmed– the apartment had last been renovated in the 1960s and was in dire need of a large-scale overhaul – the clients entrusted the extensive restoration work to local designer Yana Molodykh.

“Interestingly, the only piece of furniture that survived from the old interior was a classic wooden Czech chair. We sent it to a private workshop that specialises in bespoke furniture production and vintage restoration. We jokingly refer to any restoration process as a ‘trip to a health resort’ and named the chair ‘Felix Lvovych’ as a tribute to the previous owner,” shares Molodykh.

Several original architectural features were retained to honour the apartment’s 1911 heritage – including the high ceilings, tall doors, Versailles parquet flooring, and intricate plaster mouldings. However, the renovation came with significant challenges. “The apartment had fallen into serious disrepair. The old wallpaper was peeling, the tiles creaked, the plumbing was rusted, and both the windows and doors were crooked and outdated. We stripped everything down and started from scratch. One major challenge was the slanted exterior walls, which had to be straightened. This process reduced the apartment’s total area by about 10 cm on either side – a difficult sacrifice given how much we had fought for every square metre,” explains Molodykh.

For the redesign, the shell of the apartment remained classical, and wherever original elements were missing, the designer meticulously recreated them. “For instance, in the son’s room, we restored the original mouldings that had been hidden behind a drywall ceiling in a 1913 building from Kyiv’s Modern period,” says Molodykh.​​​​​​​

A thoughtful balance between old and new ensures a home that is both well-designed and highly functional. The compact kitchen, crafted from walnut veneer and quartzite, is concealed behind floating panels painted to match the walls – allowing the space to feel more intimate when closed off. In the dining area, embroidered Lizzo fabric curtains frame the windows, while a sculpture by renowned artist Nazar Bilyk sits on the windowsill. The ceilings, walls, and doors are painted with French Argile paint, while the floors feature Versailles modular parquet in walnut.

In the living-cum-dining area, a Murano glass chandelier by Venini hangs above, adding a touch of sophistication. Interestingly, a central walnut arch, originally intended to house a television, found its perfect complement in Oleksandr Babak’s 2016 painting Still Life. Flowers instead.​​​​​​​

The bedrooms serve as tranquil retreats, layered with texture and warm tones. The main bedroom is richly decorated with natural textiles from La Maison Pierre Frey. The Viennese curtain on the window and the draped wardrobe doors feature intricate embroidered details from Élitis.​​​​​​​

In the bathrooms, modern control units ensure functionality, while a built-in cabinet discreetly houses the water purification system, washing machine, and boiler.