Some homes start with a site visit and others start with a passing thought. But this project is purely serendipity. Months beforeFariz MamedovofFM Interiors Design Bureauwas officially approached to design this 150-square-meter apartment in the center of Almaty, Kazakhstan, he used to drive past the residence while it was under construction––singing for a day working inside. Soon after, the customers reached the apartment in that building.
Whether you call it coincidence, intuition, or something closer to luck, that story sets the tone for a home that feels like a floor plan.
An apartment for a family of five: a warm, creative home whose interests revolve around music, theater, art, travel, and more. Mamedov describes them not only as people whose energy immediately moved him. Their conversations were open, their communication immediate, and their sensibilities inexorably matched his own. That emotional fluency became the silent engine of the project.
Mamedov talks about color almost musically. He says that when he looks at people, he just associates them with shadows. Images appear; colors start to play and sound. For this couple, the note that emerged was a complex sage, or light olive: calm, beautiful, restrained, but far from simple. It was the emotional foundation of this apartment that went through the house like repetitive music.
Within that neutral tone, Mamedov has placed some striking points: the color red seems bold and energetic; blue brings depth and calmness; and sunny yellow brings joy, play, and innovation to children’s spaces. In the main room, pastels meet burgundy in a quiet arrangement of kindness, unity, and intimacy. Color is allowed to go beyond expectations, not only on walls, doors, floorboards, and wallpaper, but on the ceiling as well. The effect is restrained without being shy, the colors without being theatrical.
The palette also helps the apartment overcome one of its central architectural challenges. Because Almaty is in an earthquake zone, the building came with a large number of columns and beams, which Mamedov used as a defining rhythm. Sculptured columns in the living area visually divide the open space into imaginary islands, while the brightly colored ceiling cornice frames the beams and unites the apartment as a unified whole. Which can disrupt the home instead of being part of its tempo.
The structure follows the same balanced logic. Originally an open plan with structural columns and a small entrance corridor, the apartment was reorganized into public and private spaces. The kitchen, living, and dining areas create one generous family space for cooking, reading, entertaining, watching movies, or listening to music. Beyond the double glass doors, the bedrooms recede into a more intimate space beyond the symbolic limit.
Paris was an important reference, though not in any way literal or overly scripted. The city offered a state of mind: soft light, refinement, intelligence, rhythm, and the ease with which new and old could coexist. To that Parisian feel, Mamedov added Italian warmth: sunshine, sensitivity, softness, and emotional volume. But the apartment never leaves its Kazakh.
French herringbone parquet, natural fabrics, ceramic tile, rattan, raffia, wool, cotton, silk, wood, and metal create a home that feels grounded and lived in. Materials and objects were collected from many places, but the design avoids the clutter of overly determined eclecticism. Each piece seems to come from a conversation, a journey, a memory, or an instinct.
A custom rug made in India from Mamedov’s paintings sits alongside pieces by Saba Italia, Gubi, Louis Poulsen, Thonet, Fritz Hansen, &Tradition, Potocco, HAY, and more, while local art supports the apartment through custom cabinetry, benches, vanities, and other bespoke features.
This apartment feels less like a finished picture than a work in progress, its beauty is found in the way the many elements make up the living space so that it continues to evolve. It leaves room for new art, new practices, new conversations, new memories.
To see this and other works by Fariz Mamedov, visit tktktk.
Photo by Damir Otegen.
