The designers were tasked with creating a space for people whose everyday work is to generate ideas. Known for its bold campaigns and inventive culture, banda agency wanted an office that felt more like a large, bright apartment than a workplace. The result, designed by ater.architects, serves as a manifesto of the agency’s values: openness, sincerity, craftsmanship, appreciation of history, a balance of refinement and imperfection, attention to detail, and a touch of self-irony.
The office occupies the second floor of an early 20th-century building on Yaroslaviv Val Street in Kyiv. High ceilings and historical textures guided the architectural approach. The building’s load-bearing walls naturally divided the plan into rooms, into which the architects inserted two cubic volumes with mezzanines while keeping the remaining space open and adaptable. The entrance leads into a main hall with a stage, followed by a kitchen-dining area and a workshop.
Visitors enter through a traditional wooden door fitted with vintage glass. Oak wall panels evoke a classic institutional atmosphere while concealing storage. A glass-fronted cabinet brings daylight deep into the space. The waiting area features red vintage Dietiker armchairs, a Kint coffee table, and a naive painting by Danik Manzhos.
During demolition, the team uncovered original moldings and decorative friezes, which were restored and left visible. Against this classical shell, an asymmetrical stainless-steel reception desk and minimalist Luceplan fixture introduce a contemporary contrast.
The main hall contains soft seating, communal tables, and flexible zones for both small teams and larger gatherings. A raised podium becomes a stage for presentations, with mobile tables and folding chairs that allow quick reconfiguration. Vintage sofas, armchairs, and a glass table form a relaxed meeting area. A twelve-seat communal table is paired with late-1980s bent plywood chairs, while nearby storage elements subtly divide the hall into several smaller seating groups. Artwork by Serhii Dekaliuk anchors the space.
Vintage pieces were sourced by ater.architects across Europe, including a leather Soloform sofa and armchairs by Eugen Schmidt, white Canouan armchairs by Frag, and lightweight folding chairs from Chairworks.
The only dedicated workstations with monitors sit on a mezzanine above one of the cubic blocks, which also contains bathrooms and technical rooms. The bathroom features ochre walls, round glass sconces, a quartzite countertop, and a mirrored ceiling that amplifies light.
The second cubic volume houses meeting rooms and minimalist Zoom rooms with tram-inspired rounded glass doors. Their soft, upholstered interiors enhance comfort and acoustics. Above, a mezzanine lounge—accessed by a pool-style ladder—features sky-printed mats that create an immersive “cloud” retreat.
The adjacent kitchen-dining room includes a stainless-steel island, wavy bar counter with Magis stools, Bellini’s Nuvola lamp, wooden cabinetry, vintage Castelli chairs, greenery, and artwork by Maxim Zabrodsky.
At the far end of the hall, a workshop supports hands-on experimentation. Aluminum pegboards organize tools and materials, while the agency’s awards line the walls as reminders of the creative process. A long central lamp, assembled from three Ikea fixtures, highlights the value of simple, effective solutions.
Design:
Design Team: Oleksandr Ivasiv, Yuliya Tkachenko
Photography:
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