This 1,000-Square-Foot Apartment in Kazakhstan Is a Respite From the Busy City

Morgan Goldberg
·5 min read

DAMIR OTEGEN

For one young couple in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the right apartment was right under their noses. They’d looked all over the city for a respite from the air pollution and heavy traffic, often driving past a new residential complex in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains without thinking twice. But when they finally decided to tour a 1,000-square-foot unit in the modern development, they knew their search was complete.

Aisha curated an elegant entry vignette with a maroon floating drawer, a mauve tufted stool, and a decorative mirror.
Aisha curated an elegant entry vignette with a maroon floating drawer, a mauve tufted stool, and a decorative mirror.
DAMIR OTEGEN

“The apartment offers a lush, green view,” says Aisha Adilshiyeva of Ida Design Mates, who the couple hired to renovate the space. “The building features very clean, precise lines and panoramic windows. And it is strategically located so that morning and evening traffic flows in the opposite direction.”

Purchasing the place marked another major milestone for the couple too—moving out of their childhood homes for the first time. “Previously, they lived with their parents,” Aisha explains. “Their parents’ interiors are very conservative, either classically styled or monochromatic like a hotel, and they wanted a completely different interior.”

“The living room is quite vibrant, with the terra-cotta armchair standing out as a central element around which the other items are arranged,” Aisha says. “Next to it, we’ve hung a vintage cover of The New Yorker featuring a man in pants with the same chessboard pattern seen elsewhere in the apartment. The client meticulously assembled a mosaic coffee table depicting the moon and sun, which fits perfectly into the room.”

In order to deliver on this request, Aisha channeled a contemporary aesthetic that complements the sleek architecture of the abode. She employed a warm neutral palette of creams, beiges, terra-cottas, and burgundies, which pair well with the honey-toned timber doors and floors she installed. “The client insisted on having the feel of wood underfoot,” she notes.

Aisha then punched up the look with bright artworks and a bold checkerboard pattern on the archway in the entry, the ceiling in the hallway, and the suspended cupboard in the kitchen. “Despite its geometric simplicity, it has an English-Roman origin and enhances the space beautifully without adding visual weight,” she says of the print.

“The client mentioned she has many cherished items that are hard to part with, necessitating ample storage space throughout the apartment,” Aisha explains. “We decided to incorporate built-in cabinets wherever possible. This resulted in highly functional hallways and the symmetry of the corridors on either side of the entrance was particularly pleasing.”
“We initially did not want to make the kitchen a focal point,” Aisha reveals. “The lower cabinetry is veneered in the same finish as the table, and the upper cabinetry is painted to match the wall color, creating a seamless look where the eye glides effortlessly without interruption.”

The open kitchen also includes ivory upper cabinets, pale wood lowers, and a wine-colored island that abuts a dining table with a sculptural base for hosting friends and family. “It’s quite long,” Aisha describes. “The idea of having interesting legs was crucial, since it’s visible from the entrance and is one of the first items guests encounter, creating a welcoming atmosphere for enjoying tea.”

The homeowners can both entertain and lounge in the sitting zone, which is outfitted with an off-white bouclé sofa, a burnt orange armchair, and a gray tufted ottoman. But the most eye-catching elements are a vintage black-and-white relief floor lamp, a festive gallery wall, and a custom TV credenza with circular embellishments. “[The round decorations] were intended for the hallway wardrobe, but we repurposed them for the cabinet, the most striking feature in the living room,” Aisha shares.

“The chandelier was chosen right away and is a significant, valuable gift from the clients’ parents,” Aisha shares.
“The chandelier was chosen right away and is a significant, valuable gift from the clients’ parents,” Aisha shares.
DAMIR OTEGEN

Aisha customized the bedroom to the clients’ specific needs, with built-in furniture like a cornflower-blue-upholstered headboard, elaborate his-and-her closets, and a functional vanity with turned wood legs. “We designed it to be minimalist and unobtrusive, with everything neatly concealed inside,” she says of the latter. “It opens like a piano, hiding all cosmetics. This piece is my favorite in the room, as the handmade craftsmanship adds a special, cherished quality.”

The clients found the illustrated hillside wallpaper that informed the warm neutral color palette throughout the apartment.
The clients found the illustrated hillside wallpaper that informed the warm neutral color palette throughout the apartment.
DAMIR OTEGEN
A butter yellow built-in wardrobe provides storage in the office.

In the office, Aisha used a whimsical hillside mural wallpaper that the homeowners suggested in their very first meeting. Its pink, rust, and brown hues influenced the color scheme of the entire apartment. Meanwhile, the framed Maiya Kolosova illustrations on the other side of the room depict landmarks of Almaty. “The clients requested meaningful artwork, so each piece was carefully selected to align with their personal associations,” Aisha notes.

“Blue is one of the client’s favorite colors and the floor tiles were a fortunate find,” Aisha says. “Although they are factory-made, the patterns resemble hand-painted and aged designs.”
“Blue is one of the client’s favorite colors and the floor tiles were a fortunate find,” Aisha says. “Although they are factory-made, the patterns resemble hand-painted and aged designs.”
DAMIR OTEGEN

Both bathrooms incorporate thoughtful touches, too, like Mediterranean-style patterned floor tiles and vanities that were hand-painted by local artisans. Textural peach plaster covers one of the cabinets, while a blue scalloped border adorns the other. It’s considered details such as these that make the couple feel at home.

Aisha commissioned a local artisan to hand-paint the peach plaster vanity.
Aisha commissioned a local artisan to hand-paint the peach plaster vanity.
DAMIR OTEGEN

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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