Hayloft is the apartment that a couple of architects built for their family based on two ideas: to renovate the large volume of the building and to maintain a solid industrial appeal as previously it worked for commercial activities designed with exposed utilities, metal ceilings, concrete and brick structures, double heights; and, on the other hand, the owners’ will to create a private refuge where new technologies and sustainability act as a continuous background for the eclectic compositional mix. All these were synthesized and imagined as a philosophy that combines high-tech and antique solutions in a constant contrast between ancient, modern, and contemporary.
This spacious, two-bedroom apartment is filled with vintage and antique furnishings and an exuberant collection of artworks exploring family and land tradition and memory concepts.
While exposed concrete columns, metal decking, and salvaged brickwork evoke the design of typical loft conversions, ornate elements such as carved wall paneling, antique woodwork, hand-crafted ceramic tiling, and hand-sculpted stone basins both soften and enrich the industrial undertones of the once derelict commercial building.
Being entirely out of attractiveness, the building was of some benefits: it is located in a modern cottage village surrounded by water on both sides of the house and at minimal accessibility to a busy metropolis.
Hallway
The walls of the hallway are decorated with handmade black ceramics, as a link between modernity and the traditions of ancient Ukrainians. The master left imprints of herbs, flowers, leaves, and bird feathers on the tiles.
Destructive wooden panels with carved elements soften the concrete and metal interior and mask the secret entrance to the bedroom. The difference in panel levels is due to the height difference of the upper floor.
Guest bathroom
The volume of the first-level bathroom is tiled with scratched mirror panels. This makes the sunlight be reflected and get more natural light.
The wash basin in the guest bathroom was brought from Bali. It is carved from petrified wood, and has a wonderful texture on the inside and a bark texture on the outside. Valuable exhibits require careful proximity, so Artesia natural slate hexagonal tiles are an important floor material.
Guest bedroom
A metal and black ceramic screen in the guest bedroom not only hides the bedside table, but also helps to artfully display a collection of white porcelain hearts. And the lighting creates a theatrical game of shadows.
Heavy cargo doors also got a new life — they became part of the closet.
Living room
The heart of the house is the living room, with breathtaking ceiling height and fireplace. Its space is formed by two large volumes of metal and glass, an all-metal cable-stayed staircase suspended from the central column, and a bridge leading to the lobby and the private area of the house owners.
The main idea of Hayloft is a space free of air and sight. Even the Master bedroom and bathroom walls are made from transparent or reinforced printed glass. So you can still enjoy the view of the whole interior and the river through the front windows at the house’s farthest place.
To preserve the original profiled sheet ceiling and obtain a comfortable temperature all year round, we have found the most non-standard solution. These are Liquid nano-ceramic thermal insulation coatings, four air stirring fans, and an Antrax heating system.
Traditional ceiling fans do not require energy consumption like cooling or heating, so the ducting system has been simplified and left the ceiling clean.
Kitchen
The kitchen features an integrated cooking counter for standard food preparation and a cooking show from the chefs. It includes professional equipment similar to a restaurant, a bar station, a fireplace stove for cooking on a fire, and a large dining table. The adjacent kitchen, tucked underneath the mezzanine level, combines an elemental palette of stainless steel, natural wood, and textured marble with state-of-the-art appliances, while the master bedroom upstairs was conceived as an inner sanctum with imposing, ancient-looking double-doors guarding the entry.
Dinner Zone
The stove is lined with emerald tiles and reminds of the styles of Kyiv houses and apartments of the XVII-XVIII centuries. It is located on the same visual axis as the kitchen area and, in addition to the kitchen itself, serves as another tool for a cooking show.
The lamp above the dining table is an art object invented by the owner of the house. It consists of ancient carved hooks and giant drops of tempered glass — an ancient tradition of the western part of Ukraine.
Designer radiators guarantee significant energy savings, thanks to the reduced water content and low-temperature operation, supporting the “green” vocation of the intervention and the great ambition of architects to live in a sustainable, welcoming home, where every detail has been meticulously thought, designed or chosen.
The most significant is preserving the space’s breathtaking volume, harvesting the most natural light, and using it in the interior. Therefore, the architects designed a new facade with panoramic windows, an attached terrace, and a suspended garden. It made the building look modern and became attractive for six more families.
Second level
The height of the inner space allowed the construction of the second level. The structure’s skeleton forms the rooms with metal and glass, so the maximum natural light penetrates the darkest corners of the room.
The entire interior is maintained in a monochrome, quiet tone, and the pieces of furniture saturate it with bright accents. On the second level were a sofa, a long red sideboard from China, and a three-meter painting of the Pope next to a giant metal head.
There is another unique feature here — fashion design. The daughter of the owners of the house was fond of ballet as a child, which is reminded of her first pointe shoes stored in a glass box. But she found her purpose in another art, and her first work, created in the first year of the Royal Academy of fine arts of Belgium, became an art object in the master bedroom. And a miniature copy of the legendary skirt is kept next to the pointe shoes.
Master bedroom
The entire interior is maintained in a monochrome, quiet tone, and the pieces of furniture saturate it with bright accents. On the second level were a sofa, a long red sideboard from China, and a three-meter painting of the Pope next to a giant metal head. There is another unique feature here — fashion design. The daughter of the owners of the house was fond of ballet as a child, which is reminded of her first pointe shoes stored in a glass box. But she found her purpose in another art, and her first work, created in the first year of the Royal Academy of fine arts of Belgium, became an art object in the master bedroom. And a miniature copy of the legendary skirt is kept next to the pointe shoes.
Master bathroom
The bathroom panels are made of century-old oak. The sinks in both bathrooms were brought from Bali. One is carved from a massive solid piece of marble, the other from petrified wood with a beautiful texture on the inside and the texture of the bark on the outside. An important floor material is hexagonal tiles made of natural slate.
Terrace
Hayloft is not just housing. It is a compilation of restaurants, experimental cuisine, a bartender area, a showroom, a DJ place, and a friendly atmosphere for the family and multiple guests.
