Home design magazines often feature clean, elegant spaces – showing satin cushions, white couches and spotless bedspreads that soon become the wreckage of children. How do you attain a gorgeous, minimalistic space that all the family can enjoy? These two modern apartments under 1200 square feet from Minsk, Belarus and Dnipro, Ukraine, show how colouring and neutral tones can be both harmonious and child-friendly. Using clever partitioning to divide spaces, competing colours in kids’ bedrooms can be loud – and work together. Neutral undertones and subtle texturing make features out of background tones, creating the illusion of more space. Unique elements set several spaces apart, creating harmony in the space that your family meets, greets, and eats.
Designer:
Designed for a family of four, this apartment in Radischeva, Minsk, covers 107sqm in a characterful fashion. Unusual features, split-colour schemes and monochromatics blend together in space well-used, well-partitioned and well-transitioned. In the living room, alternate chequered cushions sit before a game of checkers, atop a blue sofa and afront yellow accents. The result is a space that looks effortlessly cool, calm and collected.
From behind the couch, a monochromatic panel housing TV and entertainment essentials meets the eye. Light wooden flooring, muted grey walls and a lack of clutter help it dominate the space.
Muted hues add desirability to certain spaces, with little quirks to attract the eye. Hunger-inducing beige kitchen benches remind the visitor of coffee and bagels; light-wood slatted lights offer a warmth suitable for illuminating breakfast. Charcoal cabinetry in the kitchen reduces clutter in a busy family environment.
The master bedroom excels in muted hues, with a colourful art contribution above the bed. Dreamy chiffon curtains let in not-too-bright light, while muted light grey, dark grey and navy colours say sleep.
The kids’ bedroom and study injects more play. Lego-esque circles feature on cupboard walls and desk chairs in mustard and teal, tones bright but reserved enough for an office. Twin inlets framed by stone allow Batman and Superman feature walls to battle it out, while cross-matching duvet covers fit rather than match. Under-bed cabinetry hides away the toys.
The family bathroom harks to the marine in an understated way. Metallic silver panelling behind the mirror extends it, reminiscent of fish scales. Electric blue tiling says swim, and textured white tiling ties it all together.
The ensuite binds bathroom duties to master bedroom colouring. Charcoal cabinetry and light wooden features are combined in multi-hued tiling. Slatted wooden ceilings and clever inlets ensure the contemporary feel is maintained.
Designer: Aleksandra Nuzhnaya & Nastya Kravchenko
Situated in Dnipro, Ukraine at 110sqm, this characterful home was designed with comfort and function in mind. Using neutral colours with a focus on being technology-friendly, it intermixes the needs of a young family with a multi-layered, contemporary look. The living room offers a glimpse into a space used for eating, watching television and socialising, mixing teal, mustard and black elements together with a hexagonal-patterned rug. A black opaque feature wall houses the television, easily hidden away for more formal occasions.
Tying in the hexagonal theme from the rug, the kitchen to living room segue uses geometrical outlines to create harmony. See-through shelving and rectangular wall art mirror each other, while neutral light-wood and plant life soften the resemblance.
The view to the kitchen offers a different perspective. Three black chairs pair with three black hanging lights, a perfect symphony for dining. Two interlocked black-and-glass tables work with new black features and previous rectangular elements. A light wooden cross-room wall and floor adds an unexpected feature.
Hued in light-wood shades, couch and table elements in the study look comfortable but practical. Wood-panelled elements and concrete tiling offer the contemporary, while side-lighting adds a modern elegance. A patterned rug and vertically-painted triptych break the beige.
Twin minimalistic backgrounds create space and interest in the bedroom. A thin, horizontal wall inlet provides the space of a bedside table without the clutter, while midnight blue covers and rich terracotta upholstery adds warmth.
The children’s room allows creativity – within good design. Midnight blue from the bedroom duvet translates to a feature chalkboard wall, for the kids to draw on.
A zen-like bathroom uses minimalist materials to create a feeling of calm for the whole family. A large round feature mirror reflects the wall behind, giving the impression of more space while adding a central focus. Beige and white elements intersect each other in the shelving underneath, and the layout of the simplistic shower.
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