By Lauren Mang
Photographed by Vova Klever; set design by Nastia Savchenko
In a temporary installation, Ukrainian multidisciplinary studio Yakusha Design sought to discover whether contemporary design could revive a dying space.
Yakusha’s project “Old Hut” focused on an abandoned home in the historic center of Kyiv, Ukraine—with its faded limestone-finished walls, concrete floor, and dilapidated wood roof. Using furnishings from the firm’s minimalist, live material (wood, clay, wool, and willow vine) collection Faina, as well as two paintings by Ukrainian artist Ihor Tverdokhlib, the derelict home took on new energy.
“The world is [going] through dramatic changes—completely new things are emerging every day, some old concepts come to an end,” says Victoria Yakusha, the firm’s founder and chief designer. “However, I believe that in this renewal process, we must not lose our roots, or the memory of ancestors, sewn into objects of daily use.”
Pieces featured in the Old Hut installation included a felted armchair, an oversized hand-knitted lamp made from willow vine, an organic, rounded dining table, and a clay vase inspired by an ancient Ukrainian musical instrument.
