
Gunia Project’s New Kyiv Flagship Anchors Contemporary Design in Heritage
Words by Yatzer
Location
Kyiv, Ukraine
Gunia Project’s New Kyiv Flagship Anchors Contemporary Design in Heritage
Words by Yatzer
Kyiv, Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine
Location
Occupying the ground floor of a late-19th-century building near Kyiv’s Golden Gate, the new flagship showroom of Ukrainian design and lifestyle brand Gunia Project unfolds as a carefully calibrated dialogue between heritage and modernity. Designed by Temp Project, the space feels resolutely contemporary yet imbued with old-world charm, harmoniously interweaving ornate architectural details with minimalist furnishings and whimsical interventions. More than a design-forward retail interior, the showroom is an evocative reflection of the brand itself, whose contemporary expression is rooted in cultural excavation.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.
From ceramics and jewellery to clothing and accessories, while Gunia Project’s offerings may draw from the country’s rich cultural heritage, tradition is never treated as a fixed artefact; instead, it is approached as a living language, one to be reinterpreted rather than reproduced. This same sensibility finds a clear architectural counterpart in the new showroom. Housed in a historic building that once accommodated the Embassy of the Republic of Panama, the space came with a series of protected heritage elements that had to be preserved, including mahogany wall panelling, monumental cabinets, carved doors, and decorative ceilings.
Working with this richly detailed backdrop, the designers introduced deliberately restrained contemporary interventions, using crisp lines, clean geometric forms, and precise detailing to establish a counterpoint that never competes with the existing fabric. The balance is subtle: minimalist display systems hover lightly within the heavy cabinetry, polished aluminium surfaces soften the gravitas of the dark wood, while mirrors multiply perspectives while compensating for the lack of natural light.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.
Colour and materiality also play a crucial role in bridging the property’s historic character with the scheme’s modern sensibility. Drawing from pastoral and folk references intrinsic to Gunia’s visual language, a dreamy palette of forest and sage greens, powdery blues, pale pinks, and muted beige washes gently across tiled walls, upholstered seating, and built-in plinths. These hues, meant to temper the weight of mahogany with an almost garden-like freshness, produces an effect that is neither nostalgic nor starkly modern, but quietly atmospheric, immersing visitors in a space that feels at once intimate and composed.
Ceramics, central to Gunia Project’s identity, extend beyond the role of exhibited objects to become an architectural material in their own right. Glossy, hand-laid tiles clad walls and counters, introducing a tactile rhythm that contrasts with the smoothness of metal and glass used elsewhere. Carpeted floors further soften the experience, absorbing sound and grounding the visitor in a sense of domestic intimacy, while fabric-clad light fittings, including contemporary pendants, add a gentle sculptural presence overhead.
Furniture and bespoke elements continue the conversation between old and new. Custom-designed wooden pieces reference traditional Ukrainian carving through simplified silhouettes, while contemporary works by local studios subtly anchor the interior in today’s design landscape. Even the mirrors participate in this dialogue: ranging from frameless minimal designs to pieces with ornate or whimsically carved frames, offering visitors Instagram-ready vantage points without tipping into spectacle.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.
The spatial organisation provides a reinforcement to the sense of considered flow. At the heart of the showroom lies a reception-cum-lounge around which three distinct zones dedicated to ceramics, jewellery, and clothing are arranged, each with its own mood yet unified by material continuity. Animated by a forest-green ceramic wall, the lounge also incorporates a children’s corner and a softly articulated green-painted alcove housing the checkout counter.
The ceramics hall is anchored by a central constellation of display plinths integrated with a built-in sofa, encouraging visitors to engage with the pieces at a slower pace. The clothing hall, the largest of the three, is likewise centred around a seating area, this time delineated by a circular carpet motif and crowned by a bespoke illuminated disc. From here, a discreet passage concealed within one of the original cabinets leads to a private fitting room, a small but telling architectural gesture that transforms preservation into spatial surprise.
Through its measured interplay of material, colour, and form, Gunia Project’s showroom thoughtfully balances contemporary clarity with historic ornamentation. The result is a space that resolutely mirrors the brand’s own philosophy, one that is deeply grounded and quietly progressive, but confident enough to let past and present coexist without any hierarchy.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Photography by Yevhenii Avramenko.





























