- Project: Almaty Apartment
- Architect: Kvadrat Architects
- Location: Kazakhstan, Almaty
- Year: 2023
- Area: 130 m2
In the heart of Almaty’s prestigious Centralny residential complex, Kvadrat Architects have crafted a refined apartment that exemplifies quiet luxury—a seamless fusion of timeless design, functional layout, and emotional resonance. Nestled within the historic Golden Square, where Almaty’s cultural and political elite reside, this 1,399-square-foot apartment becomes a tribute to architectural heritage and contemporary living.
Living Within a Status Symbol: Centralny Complex
Situated in the only new residential development on Tulebaeva Street, the apartment inherits its context from the surrounding Stalin-era architecture and lush greenery. Rather than mimic its surroundings, the design channels the atmosphere—its restraint, grace, and dignity.
Design Philosophy: Subconscious Understanding of Space
Kvadrat Architects founders Sergey Bekmukhanbetov and Rustam Minnekhanov describe their approach as “reading the client’s needs—even when unspoken.” The result is an interior that transcends trends. Minimalism here is not about austerity but emotional precision.
“A purely minimalist interior could not emerge in this context. We immerse ourselves in the setting, analyzing its emotional and spatial codes,” they note.
Quiet Luxury: Materials That Speak
The designers’ selection of wood and marble was not decorative but narrative. These classic materials carry the weight of time and tradition. Marble floors reflect ambient light upward, bathing the walls and ceiling in a natural glow. The entire space breathes with rhythm and clarity.
Maximizing Function in a Load-Bearing Structure
Almaty’s seismic sensitivity means most walls are structural, limiting options for open-plan layouts. Despite this, the team reimagined the apartment’s flow, transforming two narrow zones—the kitchen and living room—into one cohesive central space that encourages interaction.
Lighting as a Design Language
In this project, light is not just a tool—it’s a co-author.
Architectural lighting sculpts form and space, while decorative fixtures bring poetry. The TsentrSvet ceiling system ensures uniform, eco-friendly illumination, while the Pablo lamp by Davide Groppi introduces emotion and artistry into the environment—where technology and timeless art converge.
The Master Suite: Open Elegance
The master bedroom boasts expansive windows, letting natural light shape the mood. With limited space, the dressing area couldn’t be separated—so it was transformed into a statement feature. The Poliform wardrobe system with smoked glass, metal framing, and internal leather finishes provides storage with elegance and discretion. The interior is further elevated by Jean-Marie Massaud’s Yume bed, whose wide leather headboard and couture-like details ground the room with horizontal grace.
Material Harmony & Visual Clarity
Textile wall panels in natural linen, soft upholstery, and wooden blinds establish a tactile rhythm, filtering light into soft shadows that evolve with the day. Everything is intentional, from proportions to textures—curated for serenity, not show.
A Design Code Built on Stillness
The apartment eschews visual clutter, replacing it with deliberate lines and meaningful contrasts. Expression is subtle, read not in loud accents but in how light interacts with marble, linen, and polished metal.
