- Project: Apartment in Astana
- Architect: Kvadrat Architects
- Location: Kazakhstan, Astana
- Year: 2023
- Area: 142 m2
A Home Framed by Astana’s Skyline
Situated in the Highvill Gold Ishim Residential Complex, this 1,539-square-foot apartment offers breathtaking views of the Presidential Park, Ishim River, and the city’s signature architecture. Designed by Kvadrat Architects, the home is a refined study in minimalism layered with warmth, material richness, and masterful lighting.
What makes this apartment exceptional is not just the visual access to the cityscape, but the emotional clarity and sensory calm it delivers inside. It is a space where light, material, and design collaborate to create a soothing atmosphere of elevated simplicity.
Trust-Based Design for Personalized Living
The young couple gave complete creative freedom to Sergey Bekmukhanbetov and Rustam Minnehanov—a gesture of trust rooted in history. Years earlier, Kvadrat Architects had designed the woman’s childhood home, building a bond of deep creative confidence.
The resulting design reflects this trust: customized, highly functional, and emotionally attuned to the couple’s lifestyle, hobbies, and aesthetic preferences.
A New Layout, Built Around Flow
While the developer’s original layout was functional, Kvadrat Architects completely reconfigured the space to suit the owners’ needs:
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Three zones: A social zone (kitchen-living-dining), a private zone (master + 2 children’s rooms), and a technical zone (second kitchen and storage).
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A hidden chef’s kitchen is cleverly disguised behind the kitchen range.
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A walk-in closet at the entrance, another in the master suite, and a separate technical block enhance everyday practicality.
Material Language: Eucalyptus and Clean Geometry
The apartment’s identity lies in its warm minimalism—a balance of natural materials, seamless design, and visual coherence. The designers opted for eucalyptus veneer with a Frize effect, a departure from more typical woods like oak or walnut.
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This unique veneer subtly shimmers with a pearlescent luster in changing light, creating depth without distraction.
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It wraps across walls, cabinetry, hidden doors, and built-ins, but stops short of the ceiling—enhancing the sense of vertical space.
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The palette of “white sand” tones merges ceiling, walls, floor, and cabinetry into a continuous spatial experience. Depending on the lighting, it reads as white, beige, or light gray.
Light: Atmosphere, Depth, and Control
Lighting in the apartment is a central architectural tool. Kvadrat Architects approached it with a sensitivity to mood, rhythm, and transformation:
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Natural light from full-height stained-glass windows is left unobstructed.
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Roller blinds diffuse daylight like soft cloud cover.
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Horizontal blinds add drama, casting rhythmic shadows on the floor and walls during sunny days.
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Track lights and recessed fixtures maintain visual minimalism.
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Perimeter lighting subtly defines ceiling planes without adding bulk.
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Vibia pendants over the island and dining table add ambient intimacy.
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Accent spotlights on artworks sculpt their forms, casting shadows that animate the space.
Emotion Through Material and Light
This apartment isn’t just designed to look beautiful—it’s crafted to feel quiet, calm, and intentional. Everything from the tactile eucalyptus panels to the way light bounces off the kitchen island contributes to a larger sense of harmony.
“We didn’t just design a space—we shaped how the owners live, rest, and reconnect,”
say the architects. “Minimalism, for us, is about editing life down to its most essential and most meaningful.”
The Apartment in Astana by Kvadrat Architects is a poetic representation of modern comfort and understated luxury. Through precise spatial planning, a refined material palette, and masterful light manipulation, it becomes more than a residence—it’s a restorative environment grounded in emotion, crafted for everyday beauty.
