Aq Objects is a furniture and design objects brand founded by architect Elvira Bakubayeva.
With a decade of architectural experience at her Almaty-based practice, NAAW, which she co-founded, Elvira brings a holistic approach to design, often incorporating custom furniture into her architectural projects. This focus on bespoke pieces has recently inspired her to create furniture as independent design objects, leading to the launch of Aq Objects.
Collaborating closely with her mother, who oversees production, Elvira infuses each piece with a sense of family heritage and craftsmanship, ensuring that every object embodies their shared values.
The brand’s name, “Aq” |ʌk|, means “white” in Kazakh—a word that conveys purity, simplicity, and clarity, values that are foundational to Aq Objects’ design philosophy.
Elvira’s debut collection is dedicated to seating. Drawing on her background in designing spaces for restaurants, offices, and homes, she considers the chair a fundamental object in any room—a “miniature architecture” that offers moments of rest, support, contemplation, and connection.
The first prototype of this collection was introduced in NAAW’s Fika restaurant project, which gained international attention through features in Wallpaper, Dezeen, and Arbitrare print magazine. The restaurant was also longlisted for the prestigious Dezeen Awards 2024, underscoring the project’s innovative design and craftsmanship.
For this collection, Elvira revisits the tosek-agash bed, a traditional piece once familiar across Central Asia, transforming it for contemporary use in various forms: as a stool with armrests, a semi-bar stool with a backrest, and a daybed. The shapes of these pieces are inspired by the beds commonly used in Kazakh yurts and later in typical houses, giving each item a deep cultural connection and grounding.
The tactile quality is also reimagined; where traditional tosek-agash beds were carved from wood, Elvira’s designs are softened with foam-padded plywood frames upholstered in fabric, creating smoother, more inviting shapes.
The collection was finalized during a trip to Portugal, where the landscapes and cityscapes influenced the upholstery’s color palette, introducing earthy tones and natural hues that add a harmonious, global sensibility to each piece. The upholstery itself uses textiles from the Danish brand Kvadrat, specifically from the Raf Simons collection, which gives the objects a bright, technological finish of impeccable quality.
The soft finishes and rounded forms are designed to convey a sense of “embrace”—bringing a feeling of security, grounding, and mental comfort that feels especially needed in today’s fast-paced world.
Aq Objects LLC
Tchaikovsky 208
050000, Almaty
Kazakhstan
Email:
IG: @aqobjects
Photography by Yulo Khan
Website by Ayan Yenbekbay