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Olena Korzh, cofounder of Bordo design, knew she wanted to create a streamlined aesthetic for her family home in Kyiv, Ukraine—but not one without visual intrigue. Rather than opt for pops of color or furnishings with flair, Korzh brought to life embossed wall elements in wavelike patterns. “When I was designing my own apartment, I deliberately avoided anything unnecessary. I wanted each object to have not just a function but emotional weight—to mean something,” she shares, noting that the home has very little storage.
Taking a conscious consumption approach, the designer prioritized well-considered materials, multifunctional pieces, and vintage accents. “This approach made my home not only visually clean and harmonious, but truly mine. There’s nothing extra—just what matters,” she continues. “It’s a place where I can breathe, focus, create, and unwind. That’s possible because every element passed through the filter of intention.”
Delicate touches of golden metal and soft velvet upholstery add warmth to the interiors, which feature a pared down palette rooted in beige. “Beige became my favorite not because it’s neutral, but because it calms,” Korzh says. “It holds me without pressing in. It’s spacious, quiet, and full of light.” The grounding hues enable the interiors to breathe, in a sense, creating a serene oasis in the city.
The embossed walls tell a story that’s all their own. “The soft, almost sculptural lines were my way of bringing a sense of organic calm into the space,” Korzh says. “I’d grown tired of the sharp geometry that often dominates interiors. I wanted softness, motion—something alive, something like nature.” The sinuous ripples are meant to echo familiar forms, from sweeping landscapes to outlines of the human body. “They [the walls] don’t demand attention—they simply exist in the background, like a gentle emotion.”
As for Korzh, her favorite element is perhaps the coziest—a green velvet sofa that she calls “the emotional heart of the room.” Inviting the family to sink into its plush cushions, the sofa plays well with the beige walls. “I often catch myself drawn to it [the chair]—not just to sit, but to pause,” she says. “It feels like it’s inviting me to exhale, to stay a little longer. And that, to me, is the magic of a truly great piece.”
Conscious Consumption Informs Olena Korzh’s Apartment Design
Lamps by &Tradition and a velvet sofa, which the designer loves, by Blanche.
One wardrobe room, which doubles as a utility room, is discreetly tucked behind a curtain in the corridor.
“I realized that in all our previous homes, TV stands either remained empty or became cluttered with unused items. Since they weren’t functional for us, I decided not to get one entirely in our new home,” explains Korzh.
The kitchen has no upper wall cabinets. Kitchen. Lamps by Zambelis and tiles by Ceramiche Refin. The round lamp overhead is costume.
The embossed walls add visual intrigue in the living and dining room, which includes a custom-made table by Masio.
A wide table in the bedroom serves as both a workspace for two and a boudoir vanity.
One bathroom features terra-cotta walls.
Another offers a contrasting palette of green ceramic tiles.
