-
Architects: Temp Project
- Area: 117 m²
- Year: 2024
-
Photographs:Yevhenii Avramenko
-
Manufacturers: Bearbrick, Greenswift, SBB Light, Sadoline, oitoproducts
-
Lead Architects: Anastasiia Tempynska
Text description provided by the architects. Resellers of men's and women's streetwear have transformed three halls on the ground floor of an early 20th-century building in central Kyiv into a hub for bold urban culture. This collaborative space unites two clothing showrooms owned by a young entrepreneurial couple, each leading their own brand. The men's store, Storage, and the women's store, Domaine 17, both embrace a raw, rebellious vibe with a focus on sports and street fashion. The collections, carefully selected from international brands, reflect the spirit of contemporary urban culture. "The clients envisioned an atmosphere reminiscent of an abandoned industrial zone, with scratched concrete surfaces, exposed rebar, and plants reclaiming space from the city. The interior embodies the raw essence of an urban landscape that thrives with minimal human interference," explains architect Anastasiia Tempynska. Key elements of the building's original architecture were preserved, including arched doorways, wooden ceiling beams, and brick walls. "We deliberately chose not to clean the original brickwork – it would have looked too polished. We aimed for a raw, honest aesthetic, so we left the bricks untouched," Anastasiia adds.
The men's store, Storage, occupies the first hall, which previously served as a beauty salon. The uneven flooring with radial elements, a remnant of the salon's past, was creatively adapted with a poured concrete reception desk, echoing the look of a skatepark. The brand's concept revolves around the idea of safeguarding the most valuable and sought-after pieces of modern fashion and culture, which is why a safe serves as the store's emblem. Massive vault doors in the catwalk area display footwear, emphasizing the concept of exclusivity. A photo zone for fashion shoots, complete with a steel wall backdrop, is situated near the entrance. To make a free space for shoots, the clothesline is up to the ceiling via a control panel.
The second hall, home to the Domaine 17 womenswear showroom, introduces softer elements with rounded and colorful accents. Notable design features include wavy mirror frames by Ukrainian brand Oito and pink mobile floor reels. Corrugated steel walls, reminiscent of industrial workshops, contribute to the gritty aesthetic. A striking art installation of vintage TVs forms a chaotic pile in this space. Hidden among the screens, cameras capture visitors' movements and instantly project them onto the screens with various effects – visual noise, color distortion, and digital glitches. The third section, a conceptual extension at the back, houses the fitting rooms. Their mirrored walls create a maze-like effect, offering multiple angles for self-reflection. Heavy doors resembling a safe lead to a storage area, while the asymmetrical pink Bug table by Oito appears to float, enhancing the sense of surrealism created by the mirrors.
In the first hall, dark blue armchairs with elongated cylindrical cushions woven into metal frames, along with a large rounded sofa, draw inspiration from the movement design trend, where objects visually stretch and contract as if defying physical laws. The project's primary materials – concrete, aged brick, stainless steel, and corrugated metal – convey a raw industrial feel. The palette is dominated by shades of gray, black, and lilac, with vivid light green and lemon accents brought in by islands of moss and ferns, thriving despite the limited natural light.
