In the historic heart of Kyiv, on the storied Yaroslaviv Val street, a pre-revolutionary building has become the site of a radical architectural experiment. Banda, one of Ukraine’s most influential creative agencies, has unveiled a new headquarters that deliberately rejects every convention of corporate life. Designed by local practice Ater Architects, the 3,230-square-foot space is less an office and more a “large, bright apartment” where the boundary between work and domesticity has been entirely dissolved. By combining meticulously restored 20th-century plasterwork with stainless steel, vintage European furniture, and playful “cloud” lounges, the design team has created a manifesto for the modern creative class: a place where openness, craftsmanship, and a touch of self-irony provide the ultimate fuel for artistic flow.
Restoring the Bones of Old Kyiv
The journey into Banda’s world begins in an oak-lined reception area that serves as a bridge between the building’s 1900s history and its contemporary purpose. During the renovation, Ater Architects removed a nondescript suspended ceiling to reveal original, ornate plaster moldings and decorative friezes. Rather than modernizing these features, the team embarked on a painstaking restoration process, preserving the historical “soul” of the second-floor space. This classic backdrop is then intentionally disrupted by a minimalist stainless-steel reception desk and a disc-shaped Luceplan lamp, creating a high-contrast aesthetic that defines the agency’s “new-meets-old” philosophy.
The entrance sequence continues into a waiting room that feels like a collector’s living room, featuring vintage red Dietiker chairs and a naive, playful painting of a rabbit by Ukrainian artist Danik Manzhos. This rejection of the “waiting room” trope is central to the project’s mission; every square inch of the office is designed to feel lived-in and sincere. By using real oak panels that hide generous storage and vintage glass with natural “imperfections,” the architects have avoided the slick, artificial feel of most modern offices, opting instead for a tactile environment that honors the passage of time.
The Main Hall: A Stage for Collaboration
Stepping into the main hall, the scale of Banda’s communal vision becomes clear. The space is anchored by an expansive twelve-seater table paired with bent plywood chairs from the late 1980s. Overhead, a vibrant, large-scale canvas by local artist Serhii Dekaliuk anchors the room’s creative energy. The hall functions as a versatile studio apartment, where soft seating clusters replace traditional desk grids. Low cabinetry and zonal lighting subtly divide these areas, allowing for focused work and collaborative discussions to happen simultaneously without the need for physical walls.
A particularly ingenious feature of the main hall is a raised podium that doubles as a stage for presentations and events. When not in use as a performance space, it serves as part of the corridor, maintaining the office’s open and adaptable flow. The furniture here is largely mobile—lightweight folding chairs and mobile tables allow the team to reconfigure the layout in minutes. This flexibility ensures that the office can transition from a quiet morning of individual strategy to a boisterous evening of agency-wide celebration, mimicking the shifting rhythms of a creative household.
Cubic Volumes and the “Cloud” Escape
To organize the functional needs of a 495-person-capable agency within an open plan, Ater Architects integrated two distinct cubic volumes topped with mezzanines. The first volume houses the technical necessities—bathrooms finished in ochre-yellow with quartzite sinks and mirrored ceilings that amplify the natural light. The second volume contains the meeting rooms and specialized “Zoom booths.” These booths are designed with rounded glass doors inspired by the aesthetic of old Kyiv trams and are lined with a white, shearling-style fabric for acoustic warmth and privacy.
The true highlight for the staff, however, is the “cloud” lounge perched atop one of these volumes. Accessed via a sleek steel ladder reminiscent of a swimming pool, this mezzanine retreat is entirely padded with cushions and mats covered in a sky-and-cloud motif. It serves as a literal escape from the work floor—a place for decompression, meditation, or quiet recharging. This playful intervention exemplifies Banda’s commitment to “whimsy and wit,” providing a physical space where employees are encouraged to step away from their screens and simply dream.
A Workshop for “Unusually Human” Brands
Reflecting the agency’s hands-on approach to creative production, the office includes a dedicated staff workshop. This makerspace is lined with brushed aluminum pegboards for organizing tools and materials used in prototyping and model-making. It is here that the agency’s many awards are displayed, acting not as a boastful gallery but as a reminder of the link between the “process” and the “result.” The workshop is an open area integrated into the far hall, ensuring that the act of “making” remains visible and central to the agency’s daily life.
The kitchen and dining area continue the theme of domestic sophistication, centering on a sculptural, wavy stainless-steel island and timber cabinetry. In a final nod to the “intentional imperfections” of the home, the architects left test swatches of white paint on the walls between the windows—a lingering reminder of the design process. With vintage Castelli chairs and lush greenery throughout, the dining space feels like a trendy neighborhood cafe. It is this final layer of “apartment-style” detail that cements Banda’s new home as more than just an office; it is a creative ecosystem that celebrates the human, the historical, and the delightfully irregular.
