+Kouple, Kyiv, Ukraine

A Ukrainian design studio whose values are based on minimalist lines and sustainability, +kouple designs a range of elegantly clean and simple lighting, homewares and desirable objects. 

The perhaps more relevant side to the story of this resilient brand is that it’s a born and bred Ukrainian company. Trading in Kyiv, Ukraine since 2014, formerly FILD, by husband-and-wife team Dan Vakhrameyev and Kateryna Vakhrameyeva, the co-founders of +kouple bring sleek lighting, innovative solutions and a Scandi-inspired design element to interiors.

When war broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, the team had to down tools and flee their home. When we heard recently that +kouple were back in Kyiv, we had to take a moment to admire their bravery, and also to shine a light on +kouple’s work – even more meaningful given the challenging circumstances, and correspondingly important that we support Ukrainian-made products.

With a team of skilled workers in their production line, +kouple develop and assemble their designs in their family-owned workshops, employing local crafts masters for the manual welding, metal grinding, polishing and coating – all essential components to perfecting a +kouple product.

One of +kouple’s first success stories was the SO8 Pendant LED lamp, a smoothly crafted linear object made from a wooden base, wrapped in an aluminium sheet creating a minimalist look in tones such as forest green, grey, almond and white.

The Radius pendant lamp is simplicity personified with a smooth, oiled wooden base cast in powder-coated steel – which work well as a trio over the kitchen island or a dining area, especially mixing up the muted hued colours, think – coral, moss, ultra-blue and black.

BLOCK lamp, in collaboration with Berlin-based Stefan Gant of GANTlighting, is their latest creation whereby Dan Vakhrameyev derived his design idea for the BLOCK lamp from a concrete building block commonly used in construction, but since the full-scale invasion, it served to form a defence barrier on the roads all over Ukraine. When creating this table lamp, Dan foresees a few placement types: horizontally or vertically. Besides, the back metal panel of the BLOCK table lamp has an additional option to hang it on the wall, providing an alternative for adjusting the common space light in the interior.  

Stefan Gant was deeply shocked by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and reached out, saying that he happened to come across the +kouple label and immediately felt a connection.

"The idea of creating a product together and using the proceeds to benefit the Ukrainian people naturally responded to the desire to help actively. We firmly believe collaboration and solidarity are crucial in such difficult times.” shared Stefan - the founder of Berlin-based brand GANTlights.