Home to a family of five women, this cheerful home in Almaty is both beautiful and efficient.
In Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, mother and daughter interior design team Dian and Elina Mussakulova of Interior Bureau Sdelaemremont. kz have completed the interiors of a 2,691-square-foot, two-story, five-bedroom house for a family of five women.
Usually, the Mussakulovas oversee interior architecture planning for their renovation projects, but because this property had been built by another architect with many load-bearing walls that could not be demolished or altered, they had to find a way to work within the limitations of the existing floor plan to visually expand and modernise the interiors.
According to Elina – the daughter – who led the project, attempting major alterations to spaces with load-bearing walls can often be costly. They helped their client circumvented this cost by rearranging the interior programme to make the entire home more comfortable and commodious for the five family members.
“The design of the original space included very few storage areas. There was no laundry room and no pantries, and the bathrooms were tiny and cramped,” says Elina who reorganised the floor plan to make the best use of the available space.
The owners had originally wanted a large library under the stairs, but the Mussakulovas talked them out of this and instead suggested creating storage space in this spot to free up the rest of the functional zones and improve circulation.
On the second floor of the house, they included built-in cabinets where the ladies could keep their blankets, bed linen and towels.
They gave much thought to the design and decided on an open-plan, kitchen-living room as the heart of the home. Within this space they included a large island with a built-in extractor hood, a breakfast nook for informal meals or afternoon tea, a large formal dining table where the family can entertain guests, a cosy library and reading nook by the window, and a living lounge with a faux-marble fireplace.
“We rearranged all the other functional areas so this open plan communal space would be both practical and beautiful,” says Elina.
They did however, encounter a few hiccups at the beginning of the project. Before they began work on the project, all the parquet –which was not exactly the colour they wanted – had already been purchased, and the large- format, sand-coloured tiles had already been fitted on the floor of the hall.
“Thankfully, they were able change the colour of the parquet and select exactly the shade we thought would work best. With the tiles however, we took a more radical approach, dismantling them and replacing them with slabs of black and white toned marble arranged in a herringbone and checkerboard pattern,” says Elina.
During the design briefing, the client had showed the Mussakulovas an album with interior photos from other designers that they liked. Elina used this as a springboard for generating new ideas, but did not want the concept to be as generic and neutral-toned as many of the photos in the client’s album.
“We aren’t fans of home interiors that look like chic chain hotels,” says Elina, adding, “Why would anyone want to live permanently in a hotel?”
Instead, they designed each bedroom with its own unique concept, so it reflects the personality of the family member who uses it. For the common areas, they used furniture items and carpets from many different collections to create a sense of drama and variety.
“We wanted the interior to look like a patchwork quilt, but at the same time each piece should not contradict but complement and emphasise the beauty of the others,” says Elina.
Inspired by the works of fauvist artists Kandinsky and Matisse, Elina and the team filled the house with soft, salubrious pastel colours that evoke a sense of calm and balance.
“We wanted to weave in elements of classic English houses – ceiling fillets, wall paneling, classically shaped doors. At the same time, we didn’t want the space to look old or dated, so we opted for furniture and lamps with modern forms and silhouettes. The overall result was eclectic, fresh, and feminine, and we are all very happy with how it turned out,” says Elina.
Not wanting to compromise on creating a truly remarkable home for their client, they had sourced furniture and home accessories from different factories across the world for this project and were a little anxious that the pandemic might delay their work.
“We were worried that there would be delays in deliveries due to Covid, but the project went smoothly. We managed to completely decorate this two-story house from the floors and finishings to the very last painting and accessory within nine months, which, given the circumstances, we think is pretty amazing,” says Elina.