When Olga Bogdanova’s creative team moved to their newly-designed office in Kyiv’s Tereshchenkivska (known as ‘the street of museums’), they had emerged from a pandemic year of remote working and were ready to return to real-life interaction. After six months in the new space, Russia invaded Ukraine and the office, they note, became empty again. ‘Some of us remain in the surrounding Kyiv, some of us went to serve the Ukrainian army,’ reads a statement from the studio. ‘The majority of Bogdanova Bureau managed to evacuate outside the country. We are now ready to continue our work and move forward to do the things that we can do best of all. To withstand, to support those who remained to protect our homeland, to pay taxes and help the economy of our country.’
They shared their office project, photographed shortly before the war, to celebrate this meaningful space in the hope to return to it soon.
Window of Hope
The view from Bogdanova Bureau's window includes Kyiv's Shevchenko University
The office project was dubbed ‘Window of Hope’, a nod to the team’s hopeful look to the future. It is also inspired by the view from the office’s windows: the central park of Kyiv and the legendary red building of the Shevchenko University – landmarks that have remained untouched for over 100 years. ‘Every day with shaking hearts we read through news articles to make sure that everything remains unchanged.’
The building was completed around 1914 merging modern and Neoclassical architecture; the building’s owners, Ukrainian art collectors Bogdan and Varvara Khanenko, used it as a gallery and rental house. After being nationalised and badly damaged by bombing in 1947, the house was restored and its interiors transformed into a series of apartments – one of which hosts Bogdanova Bureau.
The office's furniture includes prototypes by Bogdanova Bureau, such as the armchairs, shown next to a coffee table by Hay
‘When I first entered this space, my heart stopped. I was astounded — the view from the windows was incredible. It is a real pleasure to gaze at the sunset at the end of the working day in the walls of my favourite office with a team of like-minded people,’ says Bogdanova. Her vision for the space was that of a blank canvas to promote the team’s creativity, with a design based on a neutral palette of greys.
RELATED STORY
The focal point of the office is the large tables for meetings and team lunches, designed by Bogdanova and made with travertine and steel, serving as the central island of the space and accompanied by Marcel Breuer chairs. Across the office, armchairs and acoustic panels are Bogdanova prototypes created for Ukrainian brands, to be launched soon.
A bespoke desk by Bogdanova Bureau with chairs by Marcel Breuer (left) and &Tradition (right). The painting is by Viktoriia Shkliar
Pieces by Ukrainian artists adorn the space: ‘The Space Around’ by Nazar Bilik catches the light and changes during the day, while a kinetic sculpture by Ukrainian designers Smith & Winken symbolises the passing of time.
The office’s balcony is described as ‘a point of intersection between the office and historical Kyiv’. Says Bogdanova: ‘it is well known that the most interesting things are born in locations that intersect each other’.
The office’s desks and chairs are by Polish brand Nowy Styl
‘The space around’ sculpture by Nazar Bilyk
The office’s balcony overlooking the city
The communal table and kitchen
A private office space with Marcel Breuer chair
The office’s windows overlook Kyiv’s central park
INFORMATION
-
Samuel Collins’ stone sculptures capture the raw and rugged nature of the British landscapeThe British artist and sculptor presents 'Silence Split', a series of stone sculptures which presents an abstract take on the horizontal and vertical landscape
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi has created a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
A postcard from Irish Design Week 2025How Ireland's collaborative design culture, from Kilkenny's 60-year legacy to island circularity offers an expansive model for the future
-
100 George Street is the new kid on the block in fashionable MaryleboneLondon's newest luxury apartment building brings together a sensitive exterior and thoughtful, 21st-century interiors
-
Take a tour of Retrofit House, the live showcase inspiring sustainable homebuildingRetrofit House, a showcase for residential redesign using biomaterials and environmentally smart methods, opens in Birmingham, UK, spearheaded by Civic Square, Dark Matter Labs and Material Cultures; we paid it a visit
-
How Maggie’s is redefining cancer care through gardens designed for healing, soothing and liberatingCancer support charity Maggie’s has worked with some of garden design’s most celebrated figures; as it turns 30 next year, advancing upon its goal of ‘30 centres by 30’, we look at the integral role Maggie’s gardens play in nurturing and supporting its users
-
Archiboo Awards 2025 revealed, including prizes for architecture activism and use of AIArchiboo Awards 2025 are announced, highlighting Narrative Practice as winners of the Activism in architecture category this year, among several other accolades
-
Backstage at the Old Vic is all about light, theatre and sustainable actionThe theatre's new creative hub by Haworth Tompkins has completed, bringing a distinctly contemporary and colourful addition to the popular theatre space in South London
-
Tempted to try building with stone? This project will convince you of its meritsWelcome to the Future Observatory's The Stone Demonstrator, a project conceived to show off the material's strong points, now on display in West London
-
Step inside this Clerkenwell Rooftop, transformed into a minimalist urban abodeA Clerkenwell Rooftop has been transformed by Studio Felicity Bell into a minimalist modern home, featuring airy interiors and long views of London
-
Richard Seifert's London: 'Urban, modern and bombastically brutalist'London is full of Richard Seifert buildings, sprinkled with the 20th-century architect's magic and uncompromising style; here, we explore his prolific and, at times, controversial career
