This 40-square-metre/430-square-foot chic apartment in Lviv, Ukraine was created by Roman Verbishchuk, Yulianna Verba and Lubov Lazoriv and has all the comforts of home in a design that does not compromise on function or style. The small home uses neutral wall colours and half-walls to create defined spaces without closing off the individual areas. The result is a space that looks open and airy.
The living room features natural tones, with light wood providing contrast on the neutral walls. The colours of the walls are replicated in the kitchen table, around which Eames moulded plastic chairs sit.
Subtle pastel colours on the floor keep the living room from being too neutral while providing a good balance and matching the accessories. The black Acapulco chair by OK Design helps keep the open tone in the room with lines that match those in the rest of the home.
The living room features a loveseat sized to fit the space, while a floating desk makes the room look more expansive and gives the homeowner a comfortable nook for work. Mixing in the pastels of the floor with the black and tone shades of the furniture renders the design vibrant yet uncluttered.
The bedroom is up on a platform and partitioned off from the living room with a half-glass wall, letting the homeowner maintain a separate bedroom without closing either room off inside the apartment. The floor is a different stain than the living room’s flooring, visually indicating a new room. A floor-to-ceiling cabinet tucks away all clothing and accessories.
An accent wall in the kitchen uses the same grey shade present in the backsplash, tying the design together, while the flooring and cabinetry match the wood decorations on the opposite wall. Varying wood shades on the kitchen floor help the flow of design into the next room.
The kitchen continues the neutral theme, with cabinets of light wood and white. The design limits the colours to the backsplash, providing visual interest. Cabinets are absent hardware for a more clean design, giving the entire wall a smooth look.
A bidet floats a few inches off the floor, and being mounted on the wall lets the bathroom appear larger. Also anchored on the wall is a toilet paper holder.
The shower/tub combination helps the homeowners make sure of every inch of space. A shelf made of the same wall tile runs along the length of the wall above the tub and bathroom, giving them room to stash bath needs. A large white cabinet with sleek silver bar hardware on the opposite wall holds everything the homeowners need to wash and dry their clothing.
With its graphic tile walls around the tub, the bathroom looks quite large, even with a soaking tub, washer and dryer tucked inside. The square bowl is a compact size for the space and leaves room for towels and a few accessories on the vanity, which features a shelf for linens and towels. A well-placed mirror instead of a medicine cabinet keeps the space looking open.
The tub is covered by a half glass wall, reflecting the design in the bathroom, plus making the space a little more intimate. The patterned tiles help ground the space and are a nice play off the grey walls of the rest of the room. The shelf above the tub is made of the same wood as the vanity.
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