26th May 2021 | IN EDUCATION DESIGN | BY SBID ShareTweetPinterestLinkedIn Project of the Week This week’s instalment of the #SBIDinspire interior design series features a residential design by 2020 SBID Awards Finalist J.Lykasova Studio. ONYX is a modern minimalistic interior of a spacious residential house for a family of three. The concept is based on soft, timeless minimalism. A blend of wood, concrete, stone and metal balanced by neutral shades makes a background for artistic architectural forms. The rhythm of the space is driven by a sequence of gypsum panels, drop-down zonal lightning, and laconic brass columns. Bronzed mirrors expand the apartment, reflecting the play of lines and shapes and filling the rooms with air. Natural materials in geometric shapes softened by chic design elements and décor create a calm and peaceful atmosphere, just what the clients were looking for. SBID Awards Category: Residential House Over £1 Million Sponsored by Schneider Electric Practise: J.Lykasova Studio Project: ONYX Location: Minsk, Belarus What was the client’s brief? The clients were looking to create a calm and peaceful home that would become a real temple for their family, a place full of loving and positive energy. Soft pastel palette with bits of terracotta, mustard or bordo was their colour choice. The couple preferred sophisticated decor pieces to hyped well-known replicas and expected to have lots of mirror surfaces in the rooms. As for the interior style, they opted for modern minimalism. ‘We would like to have a timeless minimalistic interior, calm and warm, yet with a twist! We don’t want it to be yet another featureless interior from a magazine, so we are looking forward to unconventional solutions that would make it distinctive and personalized.” They also paid particular attention to functionality expecting to have a functional home, where everything is in its place. They loved the idea that less is more, yet wanted their home to be cosy and comfortable so that it did not feel empty and uninhabited. What inspired the design of the project? Actually, our clients, a married couple, are the major source of inspiration for this project. Regardless of their senior positions at work and corresponding responsibilities, they still take good care of their wellbeing and mental health. They work out a lot, they travel a lot and they never stop learning. Their vision of aesthetics and beauty resonated with us from the very start. The homeowners wanted to have a stylish minimalist interior, yet bring in comfort and warmth along with unconventional interior solutions that would make their home truly special. So, we got inspired by the minimalistic concept: clean lines and forms and modern furnishing materials. The onyx stone seemed to reflect this idea in the best way: the texture and colour gradient of this natural material became a perfect foundation for designing a chic, lightweight and sophisticated interior. What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project? Probably, one of the biggest challenges we came across was the slight difference in taste. Initially, the clients sincerely leaned towards the classic vibe, regardless of the initial brief for the minimalist interior, and so wanted to use corresponding finishing and decor items, such as mirrors. However, our vision of the space was different – we saw a minimalistic, yet classy interior in it. So, it took us some time to prove that rough materials such as concrete and aged metal can look truly noble and stylish. But we succeeded! What was your team’s highlight of the project? Our clients rely on our vision completely, so it’s easy for us to collaborate with them on this project. When they wanted to change some of the aspects, e.g. the staircase, we discussed potential alternatives and shared the updates. Funny enough: they preferred the initial version after all. Why did you enter the SBID Awards? SBID Awards provide a great opportunity to gain invaluable insights into the industry trends, exchange professional experience and get feedback from a community of passionate architects and designers. We learn from each project presented by other nominees. All that inspires us to explore new directions and master our expertise so that we can continue creating exceptional projects for our customers. Questions answered by Jenya Lykasova, Architect, Designer and Founder, and Valeria Goore, Business Development Manager, J.Lykasova. We hope you feel inspired by this week’s design! If you missed the last instalment of Project of the Week, featuring a university campus design, click here to see more.