Location
{ ABOUT }
Area
Status
Project author
Year
Almaty, Kazakhstan
82 m²
project
Vassilyadi Marina
2023
The office was approached by a family who had recently bought a private house in Almaty. The house was unusual, the first floor was half integrated into the topography, which had a sharp drop within the plot. The previous owner was a creative person, he built his dwelling in the form of an inverted house, the first floor looked like a gable roof jutting into the ground, and the third floor looked like the foundation of the house, which hid the single-pitched roof. Based on these unusual circumstances, the usable area of the first floor was less than 35 square meters, and the first floor housed a kitchen and a hall with a flight of stairs. This was not enough for a family of 4 and one cat, unless you count the grown up children who come to visit.
The designer's task was to expand the area of the first floor, to provide a small bathroom, laundry room, spacious kitchen and separate dining room, spacious hall, as well as in front of the house to place a patio.
A little earlier the family had already ordered a project for the arrangement and redevelopment of the plot, the project for the reconstruction of the first floor was carried out in parallel with the project for the landscaping of the plot, which resulted in an ideal distribution of functionality both inside and outside the house.
A little earlier the family had already ordered a project for the arrangement and redevelopment of the plot, the project for the reconstruction of the first floor was carried out in parallel with the project for the landscaping of the plot, which resulted in an ideal distribution of functionality both inside and outside the house.
{ Layout }
The second floor half of the house overhung cantilevered over the area in front of the first floor, so we had the opportunity to increase the square footage with minimal structural changes. But we moved the first floor outside the house by 2 meters, at the expense of which we were able to arrange a full dining room with access to the patio, a covered entrance to the house and, at their expense, a balcony gallery for the second floor. Above the patio, a shady pergola is provided. In the room with a flight of stairs it was possible to place a small bathroom with shower, laundry room with household storage systems. The kitchen of 17 square meters accommodates all the necessary functionality, including a kitchen island, where the whole family can have breakfast.
Few people can boast of a hall of 21 m2, but our customers can now. In the hall is placed wardrobe closet more than four meters in length, where you can easily accommodate all the outerwear of the household, shoes for all seasons, outerwear of guests and one section is given for household equipment. Mezzanine cabinets are also available to store seasonal sports equipment and patio items. In the center of the hall is an oval banquette sofa designed by the designer.
On the opposite side of the closet on the walls are a set of mirrors and a built-in dresser for sale accessories. Under the console there is a station for a robot vacuum cleaner. The bright mood of the hall is set by Spanish mosaic tiles. Lighting in the room is maximally diffused, soft and inconspicuous.
On the opposite side of the closet on the walls are a set of mirrors and a built-in dresser for sale accessories. Under the console there is a station for a robot vacuum cleaner. The bright mood of the hall is set by Spanish mosaic tiles. Lighting in the room is maximally diffused, soft and inconspicuous.
{ Entrance area }
Corridor
The room where the corridor is formed, as well as the kitchen, has a ceiling height of only 2.35m and a monolithic ceiling. Therefore, we refused the ceiling lighting except for the necessary.
Several options were proposed for the staircase finish. The variant above was approved by the customer, and the variant below is more liked by the designer, so we show it too.
Doors to the bathroom and laundry room are flush-mounted, lower than standard doors and are made to order. The door to the laundry room has a cat passageway.
Above the partition separating these rooms, glass blocks are placed to let in natural light during the day.
In the corridor we placed a dresser painted by the artist, which is owned by the customers.
Above the partition separating these rooms, glass blocks are placed to let in natural light during the day.
In the corridor we placed a dresser painted by the artist, which is owned by the customers.
Kitchen
The avant-garde spirit of this house is fully revealed in the kitchen and not from nothing. Here a picture from the collection of the owners of the house found its place, and the interior of the kitchen became a continuation of the mood of this work.
Dining room
In the dining room one of the walls is decorated with paintings of Kazakh artist, selected by the designer in the interior.
A unique element of the interior of the dining room is a bar built into a technical niche - bottles of wine are stored on top, because the owners of the house love wine and know a lot about it.
The bar cabinet hides behind its doors a collection of wines and stronger drinks with glasses and other accessories. Expensive wines are stored in a hidden narrow cabinet.
Ceiling heights are kept as high as possible, the dining room's folding stained glass windows open up to the patio in summer.
The bar cabinet hides behind its doors a collection of wines and stronger drinks with glasses and other accessories. Expensive wines are stored in a hidden narrow cabinet.
Ceiling heights are kept as high as possible, the dining room's folding stained glass windows open up to the patio in summer.
Built-in display cabinets for collectibles are located on either side of the archway into the kitchen, the top opaque part above the cabinets are lockers for seasonal storage of patio accessories (pillows, plaids, etc.).
The porcelain stoneware flooring under light parquet in the stained glass area is replaced by natural travertine.
The porcelain stoneware flooring under light parquet in the stained glass area is replaced by natural travertine.
Bathroom
In spite of the small size of the bathroom, it has all the necessary functionality, elegantly hidden behind the doors: there is a cupboard above the toilet, a niche for a vantus and spare toilet paper, the mirror is also a cupboard for storing tubes and toothbrushes, to the right of the shower deep cabinet for towels and bathrobes with a compartment for dirty linen. The panel fronts are made of moisture resistant MDF.
Laundry room
In the laundry room we were able to place a washing machine, dryer and steam cabinet on a small area; a rack for household utensils and a place for baskets with laundry. A small sink was designed, as well as a cat litter box. A storage system and fold-out ironing board were placed under the staircase.
Process
The house is fully monolithic, the ceilings on the 1st floor are very low, there was a significant lack of space and functionality, as well as communications for the maintenance of the first floor — there were many challenges and features of this object. However, we managed to transform the shortcomings and bizarre forms into a comfortable and aesthetic interior, reflecting the bright multifaceted and creative character of its owners.
When designing the interiors for this house, we took into account the customers' wish to place several art objects from their own collection on the first floor of the house, which also influenced the design decisions of the future interiors.
When designing the interiors for this house, we took into account the customers' wish to place several art objects from their own collection on the first floor of the house, which also influenced the design decisions of the future interiors.