- Project: Hayloft
- Architect: Loft Buro
- Location: Ukraine, Kyiv
- Year: 2020
- Area: 197 m2
- Photography: Andrey Avdeenko
A Loft Born from Transformation
Hayloft is the creative reinvention of a formerly commercial, derelict building into a living, breathing home—but not just a home: a space that fluidly becomes a kitchen-bar, show-room, experimental loft, and living residence. Loft Buro took its clients on a journey: from raw industrial shell to a richly layered interior that spans memory, travel, craft and domestic ritual.
Architectural & Spatial Strategy
The apartment sits in a large volume with industrial bones: exposed structure, high ceilings, big windows, remnants of past usage. Hayloft draws on this raw shell and overlays it with a series of architectural moves:
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A dramatic double-height living area anchors the public zone;
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A mezzanine connects to private zones via a pedestrian bridge, maintaining visual connection;
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Kitchen, bar, dining and living dissolve into one generous open space, while private sleeping and retreat functions nest behind carved thresholds.
Loft Buro’s concept was “timeless interior” — one where antique doors, hand-made materials, travel-worn objects and modern systems coexist.
Materiality & Atmosphere
The palette is intentionally rich and tactile:
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Hand-made black ceramic wall tiles in the entry create an immediate sense of craft and depth.
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Carved paneled woodwork hides secret entrances and layers vertical texture.
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An emerald-green tiled furnace, referencing historic Kyiv hearths, becomes visual anchor in the living zone.
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Stainless steel, wood and veined marble unite in the kitchen/bar: a marriage of high-tech appliances and artisanal surfaces.
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Exposed utilities, cable-stayed staircases, steel glass enclosures maintain the industrial loft character.
The effect is a space that is both urban raw and layered with warmth, travel and heritage—“East meets West” and “loft meets house”.
Program & Experience
According to the architects, this project is “not only a dwelling. It’s a cocktail restaurant, experimental kitchen, bar counter, exposition, showroom, DJ place and a friendly atmosphere.” The program thus spans living and entertaining in equal measure.
For the inhabitants, this meant designing for versatility:
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Entertainers’ kitchen and bar lounge on the main level, adapting from family meal to social event.
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Living and dining framed beneath high ceilings, with vistas upward and across to allow volume to be felt.
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A mezzanine lounge/work area that opens visually to the space below, enabling connection without noise interference.
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Private chambers tucked behind sculptural doors, maintaining retreat and intimacy.
Lighting, material atmosphere and furniture placed emphasis on “collected over time” rather than “just built”.
Why Hayloft Matters
Hayloft exemplifies how interior architecture can merge industrial authenticity, craft detail and domestic richness without compromise. Key lessons:
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Embracing the existing building structure rather than erasing it—“shell & insert” strategy.
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Crafting layered interiors with antiques, hand-made materials and modern systems in harmony.
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Designing for multiple modes of living (private, social, show) in a residential footprint.
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Creating atmosphere through texture, light and movement rather than purely form.
In a Ukrainian context, Hayloft also signals a rising interior design culture: local studio Loft Buro creating world-class interiors grounded in place.
Plans
