Moscow apartment with a total area of ​​142 m2 Elena Kochetkova, Golovina Natalia, Elena Otarova

Passing the gallery

A photo: Karen Manko

Interview prepared: Julia Sakharova

Architect: Elena Kochetkova, Наталья Головина, Елена Отарова

Magazine: (70)

Salon: I would call the apartment where you and I are now the embodiment of the most romantic and “warm” minimalism. How did you manage to breathe poetry into this by definition coldish style?Elena Kochetkova: Let's clarify the terminology: the style of this apartment is not pure minimalism: rather, it is grown on the basis of minimalism with the participation of romance. The owners, yes, were impressed by the philosophy of minimalism. On the other hand, this style is really cool (emotionally) for a friendly family of three. Thus was born the idea of ​​a mix of minimalism and romance. But the real idea of ​​the birth of the concept of an apartment could be stated when we, having gone for creative ideas to the “collective unconscious”, decided to use the ship's archetype.S: Why precisely ship? - Because this symbolism is very close to the idea of ​​the house: here and there we see a closed space, designed to protect against the negative effects of the external environment ... We tried to reveal the marine metaphor of the language of designs and decor.S: But you already had a “boat” house, for it you received a silver diploma at the competition “Architecture-2002”. (That house, which is located near the Klyazminsky reservoir.) I would never believe that you simply decided to impose the old "matrix", albeit extraordinary, on another apartment. - It is clear that there is nothing “just like that” either in life or in architecture. The idea was common, but the approaches were different. There, the external structures stated the theme of the ship, here we worked with the internal space of the apartment. And it changes the whole thing. The idea of ​​the ship turned out to be the key to the "puzzle" ... The house where we are now is an elite one, successfully located on the Yauza embankment, but this apartment was designed, to put it mildly, unsuccessfully. And to be honest - no good. The main disadvantage of the lay-out was how the load-bearing walls are located: they are erected parallel to each other; the width of the step between them was 3-3.5 meters. "Corridor" was divided by partitions into rooms ... We broke the partitions and punched two openings in the bearing walls. One doorway from the entrance, between the hall and the TV-room (it is closed by glass, it is impossible to pass through it, but it visually plays an important role - it unites the space), and the other “arch” is between the dining room and the kitchen. To the left and to the right of the “corridor” we let down beams and built walls of a rounded configuration, resembling a submarine hull in cross section. Thus, we have made the space of this apartment “round”, “warm”, mutually permeable, convenient for communication.S: Is the "looking-glass" in which we are now - this is the former "corridor"? - Yes, and we are now in one of the most interesting premises of the public zone (into which we have turned it). From here, from the dining room, behind the glass partition one can see mirrored wardrobes for wardrobe, further, behind the glass of the next partition, - TV-room. The “layers” of glass look like water and remind us that we are in a “submarine” room, a mysterious and romantic place. Glass opens space to the gaze and at the same time makes it impervious to sound, which adds mystery to it. And the privacy of each of the seemingly open spaces. (By the way, silver metal, laconic lamps and pastel colors of the decor are particularly relevant in this regard.)S: I have already been privy to another mystery of the "submarine" - the mystery of the optical illusion that occurs in the public zone. Now, for example, all the ceiling lights are on? - No, only in the TV-room. True, they add depth to space? It turned out to be multi-layered and at the same time "friendly." But we did not try to surprise anyone - on the contrary, we tried to do everything simply. By the way, this is the hardest thing - to do just that. I love clarity, logic. See how we arranged private rooms here. To the right of the system of public premises are the parents' quarters (a bedroom enlarged at the expense of the balcony, a study, a bathroom). On the left - the “possessions” of their 12-year-old daughter (bedroom, bathroom). The materials and decor of private rooms again correspond to the general theme of the “ship”.S: Remember, Mandelstam is famous: "Insomnia, Homer, tight sails. I read the list of ships until the middle ..."? I heard that this "sea" apartment is not the last in the "list" of your architectural and metaphorical "ships". - We have a project that we called the "House-Ark". But this is a separate story.Elena Kochetkova: "Having bought an apartment in a luxury house, the customers became owners of surprisingly inconvenient housing. The main drawback was the long room between the two bearing walls. However, the disadvantage was turned into a virtue: we decided to beat it by using our boat symbol. “sides”. We harmonized the space, deciding it in the style of the new romance based on minimalism. ”