An Almaty Apartment Composed in Sage, Sunlight, and Serendipity

Some homes begin with a site visit while others begin with a passing thought. But this project belongs solely to serendipity. Months before Fariz Mamedov of FM Interiors Design Bureau was formally approached to design this 150-square-meter apartment in central Almaty, Kazakhstan, he would often drive past the residential complex while it was still under construction––musing of one day working on its interiors. Soon after, clients reached out with an apartment in that very building.

A modern living room with a mustard armchair, abstract wall art, a wood sideboard, and a view into a kitchen with green cabinets.

Whether you call it coincidence, intuition, or something closer to good fortune, that story set the tone for a home shaped as much by feeling as by floor plan.

Modern dining room with a rectangular table, beige chairs, a vase of pink lilies, a tall mirror, a potted plant, and large windows with sheer curtains.

Modern kitchen with mint green cabinets, red accents, and gold lighting fixture; dining area with flowers and wine glasses in the foreground.

The apartment belongs to a family of five: a warm, creative household whose interests orbit music, theatre, art, travel, and one another. Mamedov describes them not only as people whose energy immediately moved him. Their conversations were open, their connection instantaneous, and their sensibilities uncannily aligned with his own. That emotional fluency became the project’s quiet engine.

Modern kitchen with sage green cabinets, a white countertop island, two red stools, contemporary pendant light, and a mustard yellow chair on herringbone wood flooring.

A corner interior with a blue cabinet, a red stool, two potted plants, and framed art on a white wall with green accents and herringbone wood flooring.

Mamedov speaks of color almost musically. When he looks at people, he says, he instinctively associates them with shades. Images appear; colors begin to play and sound. For this couple, the note that emerged was a complex sage, or light olive: calm, elegant, restrained, but far from simple. It became the apartment’s emotional foundation moving through the home like a recurring melody.

Modern kitchen with a green island, marble countertop, and a dining area with round table and chairs by large windows with sheer curtains.

Modern kitchen with sage green cabinets, white farmhouse sink, marble backsplash, wooden stool, potted plant, and wall art on white walls.

Around that central tone, Mamedov layered a more expressive score: red appears as bold and energetic; blue brings depth and calm; and a sunny yellow elicits joy, play, and invention in the children’s spaces. In the primary bedroom, pastels meet burgundy in a quieter arrangement of tenderness, unity, and intimacy. Color is allowed to travel beyond the expected surfaces, appearing not only on walls, doors, baseboards, and wallpaper, but on ceilings as well. The result is restrained without being timid, colorful without becoming theatrical.

A floor lamp, a vase with flowers, and a small cart with various items sit below a colorful abstract painting on a white wall.

A hallway with green doors and trim, wood herringbone flooring, a ceiling light, a framed picture on the wall, and a metal shelf holding decor items.

The palette also helps the apartment overcome one of its central architectural challenges. Because Almaty is in a seismically active region, the building came with a significant number of columns and beams, which Mamedov leveraged as a defining rhythm. Mirrored columns in the living area visually divide the open space into conceptual islands, while an accent-colored ceiling cornice frames the beams and unites the apartment as a coherent whole. What could have interrupted the home instead becomes part of its tempo.

Modern home office with a desk, swivel chair, and lamp, featuring dark blue walls, light wood floors, and a partially open door. A basket and closed wardrobe are also visible.

A modern, neatly arranged bedroom with a single bed, armchair, desk, large window, and city view. Natural light brightens the space, decorated in neutral and blue tones.

The layout follows a similarly measured logic. Originally an open plan with structural columns and a narrow entry corridor, the apartment was reorganized into public and private zones. The kitchen, living, and dining areas form one generous family stage for cooking, reading, entertaining, watching films, or listening to music. Beyond double glass doors, the bedrooms retreat into a more intimate realm beyond a symbolic threshold.

A modern desk with an open book, a lamp, a clock, stacked books, a framed picture, and a pencil holder against a striped wall.

Modern bathroom vanity with a wood cabinet, white countertop, brass fixtures, wall-mounted mirror, candle holder, soap dispenser, and a towel hanging on a brass hook.

Paris was an important reference, though not in any literal or overly styled way. The city offered a state of mind: soft light, refinement, intelligence, rhythm, and the ease with which new and old can coexist. To that Parisian sensibility, Mamedov added Italian warmth: sunshine, sensuality, softness, and a little more emotional volume. Yet the apartment never drifts away from its Kazakh.

A modern bedroom features a daybed, a desk with a chair and lamp, a large mirror, an orange bench, and an open curtained closet with shelves. The decor includes warm and pastel tones.

A modern desk with art supplies, a sculptural mug, a notepad, and a yellow lamp sits beside a light gray chair and a wavy-framed mirror in a minimalist room.

French herringbone parquet, natural textiles, ceramic tile, rattan, raffia, wool, cotton, silk, wood, and metal create a home that feels layered and lived in. The furnishings and objects were gathered from many places, but the composition avoids the clutter of overdetermined eclecticism. Each piece seems to have arrived through conversation, travel, memory, or instinct.

A modern, well-lit bedroom with two beds, a desk with a chair, a window with a city view, neutral walls, pastel decor, and a yellow rug on wooden flooring.

A small sofa bed with decorative pillows and a plush toy sits beneath a framed painting; pendant lights hang above, and a side table is nearby.

A custom rug made in India from Mamedov’s sketches sits alongside pieces from Saba Italia, Gubi, Louis Poulsen, Thonet, Fritz Hansen, &Tradition, Potocco, HAY, and more, while local craftsmanship grounds the apartment through custom cabinetry, benches, vanities, and other bespoke elements.

A tidy bedroom with a desk, chair, bed, and large window with a green shade, featuring neutral and pastel colors, wooden flooring, and some decor items.

A modern bedroom with a blue bookshelf filled with books and decorative objects, a bed with a plush lion toy, and a large window showing a building outside.

This apartment feels less like a finished image than an ongoing state, its beauty found in the way the many elements make space for life to continue unfolding. It leaves room for new art, new routines, new conversations, new memories.

A modern room with a blue bookshelf holding books and decor, a circular wall organizer with photos, a coral bench, a striped rug, and a stuffed animal on a bed.

A modern bedroom with a beige bed, a white and red blanket, muted abstract wall art, a round white pendant light, and a glass door partially open. Flowers sit on the bedside table.

A small wooden desk with an open book, lamp, decorative items, and a chair, set against a light wall with a large framed minimalist artwork above.

Open double doors reveal a walk-in closet with hanging clothes, wooden shelves, a round mirror, a vase with flowers, and a lamp on a dark accent wall.

Bathroom with green and white vertical tile, glass shower enclosure, wall-mounted toilet, two robes on hooks, a vanity with drawers, and a vase with greenery.

Modern bathroom with patterned tile floor, wall-mounted toilet, glass-panel bathtub, wooden vanity, brass towel rack, and framed artwork above the toilet. Flowers sit on the sink.

A hallway with light wood herringbone flooring, a green-trimmed arch, built-in shelves, and a black digital piano with a bench against the wall.

A black Yamaha piano with a bench sits against a white wall, topped with a decorative mirror, photo frame, and candle; a yellow chair is visible in the adjacent room.

A hallway with a white door, dark blue walls, black and white checkered floor tiles, and a light green arched doorway with a gold handle.

A dark blue entryway features round, multicolored wall hooks next to a white door and an umbrella in a gold stand.

A stacked washer and dryer are enclosed in a navy blue louvered closet with shelves, located in a small room with patterned wallpaper and a black-and-white tile floor.

A man stands in a modern, stylish living room with light-colored walls, green accents, contemporary furniture, and decorative plants.

To see this and other works by Fariz Mamedov, visit tktktk.

Photography by Damir Otegen.

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, New York-based writer Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. When not writing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design.

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