apartment with a total area of ​​126 m2 Natalya Gradskova, Olga Karyasova, Claudia Tikhanova

Passing the gallery

Interview prepared: Dina Volgina

A photo: Karen Manko

Architect: Natalia Gradskova, Olga Karyasova, Claudia Tikhanova

Magazine: H (76) 2003

The interiors, which makes the architectural bureau "White Square", are different. Nevertheless, one thing is different. They are all modern. Not so much in style as in spirit, atmosphere. The architects themselves believe that there is no secret here. They simply experiment with proportions and combinations of materials. There is no exception and the last work. About it tells one of the authors of the project Natalia GradskovaSalon: How did the customer want to see his future home? - Andrei turned to us, not knowing what his apartment would be like. I chose our bureau because I was familiar with some works. True, in something he decided quite clearly. It was supposed to be extremely simple, discreet in color, functional interior. He really wanted a bedroom combined with a bathroom and a natural color scheme. From the premises - a standard bachelor set: a spacious living room connected to the dining room, a small kitchen; from the outbuildings: laundry, cloakroom and storage room. Already in the process of communication there was a topic. We needed only to develop it and to give integrity. Many ideas belonged to the customer. In particular, use marble stone in the flooring. The reception is not new, but the idea is original: he proposed to lay the floor throughout the apartment with marble mosaic. A sort of hand made. It seems to me, it turned out spectacularly and, importantly, practical. S: Why, of all the ceiling design options, did you stop at a stretch? - Stretch ceiling is very technological. It is durable and aesthetic. The glossy canvas has one indisputable advantage - a large degree of reflection. The main problem of this apartment is too low, pressing, just 2.40 m, ceilings. We tried to push the space in any way, make it easier, airier, more voluminous. Including with the help of stretch ceilings. The most important thing was to choose the optimal color that would give the space plasticity and depth. For the living room - the center of the apartment - we chose dark brown. The color is very spectacular, not gloomy, rich and, in my opinion, just right for such a representative room as a living room. In the bedroom, they stopped at a more delicate pale cream color.S: The apartment has clean brick walls. This is a rather non-standard, in the sense of not often found, solution for private architecture. - In my opinion, it is undeservedly used a little. Brick is an expressive and technological material. Usually you have to figure out how to structure the wall plane. Brick removes this problem. Such a wall already has its own texture, it is real. With the help of bricks, depending on the context, of course, you can create spaces that are completely different in sensation. In the case of this apartment, it seemed to us that it most fully expresses the idea of ​​a male interior, slightly bohemian and artistic.S: Is the white color of the walls your favorite reception too? - As is the case with suspended ceilings, we solved the same task - to push apart, visually enlarge the space, but horizontally. In combination with marble floors and colored ceilings, white works hard.S: I noticed that all the furniture, lamps - handmade. Is this your principled approach? - Partly. Although each specific project has its own motivation. Here the customer could not find suitable branded lamps for a long time. As a result, we came up with them. It is due to them living room looks sharp and modern. Specially designed for this object upholstered furniture, a table. The shape, aspect ratio, materials are not random. If you notice, the sofa is low, with a low back. He has modern proportions, as, indeed, at the table. It is long and narrow, it has a simple frame. The thickness of the table top and frame are adequate to the material from which it is made. This is the optimal size for this design, and therefore in the interior it looks harmonious.S: The apartment has absolutely no accessories, except for a pair of vases. What is the reason? - We always leave accessories for the customer. He should have a field for his own creativity. In general, a minimum of finishing layers and a minimum of decor are characteristic of modern design. Today, naturalness and naturalness are relevant.Natalia Gradskova: "Frankly speaking, we were a little surprised that Salon-interior magazine became interested in this project. The apartment is completely uncharted, low-key, completely non-commercial, extremely rational. And, as it seemed to us, not in the format of a magazine ..."