{"id":2472,"date":"2025-08-17T13:47:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T05:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/2025\/08\/17\/kitchen-of-the-week-an-open-kitchen-in-kiev-with-a-touch-of-subtle-glamour\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T13:47:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T05:47:23","slug":"kitchen-of-the-week-an-open-kitchen-in-kiev-with-a-touch-of-subtle-glamour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeofmaterials.com\/de\/kitchen-of-the-week-an-open-kitchen-in-kiev-with-a-touch-of-subtle-glamour\/","title":{"rendered":"K\u00fcche der Woche: Eine offene K\u00fcche in Kiew mit einem Hauch von dezentem Glamour"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Last month we visited an apartment called Birdsnest remodeled by 28-year-old architect Emil Dervish. It was the first project we\u2019ve ever featured in the Ukrainian city of Kiev. But more than the location, what interested most readers was Dervish\u2019s custom approach to storage. That\u2019s especially the case in the kitchen, where the focal point is an outsized cabinet of untreated brass patinated from use. To some it looks like an abstract canvas, others see a mess of fingerprints. To us, it\u2019s an unexpected and inspired choice for open-plan quarters. What do you think?<\/p>\n

Photography by Mikhail Loskutov, courtesy of Emil Dervish.<\/p>\n


Above: Set in the back of the living space, the kitchen is divided from the rest of the room by a small island that rests on a brass plinth. The brass over the range serves as a vent cover with cabinets flanking it. The fridge and freezer are concealed at the end of the oak cabinet on the left. <\/p>\n

The apartment belongs to Swiss-British filmmaker Marc Wilkins, who works all over the world, which is how he fell in love with the Kiev. On a recent Sunday, Wilkins was chopping ingredients for a stew\u2014friends were coming to watch Dr. Zhivago on a screen just off the kitchen.<\/p>\n


Above: Wilkins moved to Kiev from Berlin and shipped his favorite belongings by moving truck, including this 1950s Swiss porcelain double sink. It had come out of his great grandfather\u2019s townhouse, where at one point it had been used in a darkroom. He found it languishing in the basement, and his family thought he was crazy for keeping it. \u201cI had it in my last apartment but it needed more breathing room. Emil designed the kitchen around it.\u201d <\/p>\n

The brass faucet is by <\/span>Nicolazzi of Italy and the vintage wall sconce traveled with Wilkins from Berlin.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Above: The counters are oak and the back lower cabinets are faced with laminated plywood. The island is made of micro-cement-covered plywood; it measures 3.9 by 1.9 feet\u2014\u201dthe scale works here,\u201d says Wilkins, \u201cand it holds a lot of dishes and cookware.\u201d
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Above: The black bakelite electrical outlets and light switches are from Berker of Germany\u2019s Bauhaus-inspired Serie 1930 line.
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Above: The apartment is set on the top floor of an early 20th century building with a turret that serves as the dining room. Wilkins has since replaced the cafe table with a bigger one. He brought the hanging light and chairs from Berlin. The wall-hung radiators are original to the apartment: Dervish had them removed, sandblasted, and repainted.
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Above: The kitchen in context. See more in A Kiev Architect\u2019s Well-Planned Lair for a Friend. <\/p>\n

Vor<\/h2>\n


Above: Though not without a certain charm, the existing kitchen was tiny and set in what is now the bathroom.
Above: The sink was no rival to Wilkins\u2019s great grandfather\u2019s hand-me-down. <\/p>\n

Planning your own open-plan kitchen? Here are three more inspired designs with homemade elements:<\/p>\n