Cave living within a skyscraper

Mazanka is an apartment in a Kyiv skyscraper in Ukraine with a view of the Dnipro river, where ancient construction technologies were used. In the Ukrainian Mmazanka means a small village house built of wood, clay, and reeds. The name comes from the word mazaty — to cover something with a layer of clay.
Mazanka apartment is a dialogue of the past and modern Ukrainian design and Ukrainian culture as it is. The client is a young woman who shared the same views as the architects at Makhno Studio. She the studio to fulfil her long-held dream — eco-housing with natural materials and modern technologies being harmoniously combined, and the design sophisticated emphasising the uniqueness of the space.

The living zone is almost an art installation. The cube is decorated with plaster repeating the surface of ancient clay huts. The walls are covered with a special clay solution to get the desired volume. The relief was created by the element itself: when drying, the material had cracked and formed unique patterns. Here, the main beholder of such a force of nature is the Ochi lamp created by Makhno.

In general, nearly all the lighting in the apartment, was created by Makhno Studio. Above the dining area, is a handmade vine lamp and above the kitchen island, there is a set of four jug lamps that were specifically created for this apartment. In the bedroom, there is a ceramic Makiivka lamp. The bedroom space is also open and connected to the bathroom. They are partitioned by translucent doors.

The colours and textures of the living room endure in the sleeping area but perform differently.

“I am in high spirits. My guests are especially fascinated by the clay “cave” as something unusual and impressive. As for me, it feels here like somewhere in the middle of wild untouched nature. I believe that the Ukrainian contemporary style will conquer even more hearts”, says Anastasia, the owner of the apartment.