International Ukrainian style

A meeting with Oleg Volosovky, founder of Loft Buro, gives us a vibrant image of Ukraine and Kiev, a world of design created by a new generation of architects with an international vocation

Ukraine has been through very difficult times from a social perspective (and the situation is still far from serene), but interior design has always flourished here thanks to the cultural values of the country and of the professionals who have brought their ‘Ukrainian spirit’ blended with creativity beyond national borders. Oleg Volosovky is one of the main architects of this pragmatic, determined new wave, which, for reasons related to the economy and national instability, has been silent for many years, but now has begun to leave its mark both in the East and in the West, demonstrating a strong ability to understand local cultures, even those that are geographically distant and distant in terms of values.

Oleg Volosovky trained in Italy: in the last 10 years, the designer has participated four times at the Salone del Mobile di Milano, where he has presented his furniture and lighting ideas, among others. Over the long period he spent in Italy, he was able to associate with companies in the sector, come into contact with people who work with materials and acquire the knowledge and skills of Made in Italy artisan and industrial production.

The combination of their roots and the innovations that the world offers is the common thread that unites Oleg Volosovky’s work and that of his Loft Buro. One of the most significant examples is the installation that he brought to Euroluce 2017, in which the designer presented the To Live in Feeling collection, a luminous interpretation of glass masks.

In recent years, the presence of “custom” furniture has become a major element in Oleg Volosovky’s restaurant and residential projects. The development (“finally”, says Oleg with a smile) of the expertise acquired by certain Ukrainian manufacturing companies now enables the creation of tailor-made projects with affordable budgets. The results are already here: Loft Buro has designed a loft-style kitchen that will soon be presented at an important showroom in Miami, followed by a new project, this time in Art Deco style. Despite Volosovky’s “return home”, he still has a strong, important relationship with Italian companies. A good example of this is the Art Deco villa that Loft Buro created in Costa Brava, which features the firm’s distinctive style, brilliantly enhanced by a collaboration with famous Italian brands: Visionnaire, Turri, Fendi, Sicis, DL Decor and Elledue, just to name a few.

The ironic interior design of the Chicken restaurant in Kiev features references to Ukrainian history. The designer and his collaborators wanted to create a (slightly gothic) atmosphere typical of the favorite haunts of the Ukrainian intelligentsia, tarnished by the presence of a rooster that announces the passing hours. If you want to experience Loft Buro’s ability to tastefully furnish restaurants, you only need to go up to the eighth floor of a tower in Kiev and discover Mur Mur, a very metropolitan restaurant (you would not think it was in Kiev) where you can enjoy food, music and a panoramic view of the city, appreciating the refined style with which Oleg Volosovsky has decorated the interior.

The firm has four projects currently underway, including hotels, restaurants and an ambitious layout for a sports and entertainment center that will comply with international standards. Oleg’s ideas have led him to work with wealthy clients, but this sensitive, respectful designer also produces social housing projects, including an innovative concept for a hostel and the (non-profit) reconstruction of the Reconciliation Cathedral in Western Ukraine.

The firm is also overseeing two projects in Belarus, a 300 sq m restaurant and an office of over 2,500 sq m; it will create a restaurant and hotel in Germany and in Georgia – over an area of 18,000 sq m – Loft Buro will be responsible for the construction of a hotel. The work of Oleg Volosovky and his Loft Buro firm have even reached Switzerland, where they will create the common and relaxation areas of a fitness centre, and Milan, where he is designing a restaurant.

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Chicken Restaurant
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Chicken Restaurant
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Livingroom Villa Costa Brava
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Bedroom Villa Costa Brava
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Swimming Pool, Villa Costa Brava
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Villa Costa Brava
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Oleg Volosovsky