петербургская квартира с мансардой (300 м2) Yuri Kombarov Дух истории, облаченный в современные одежды. Переделка квартиры в бывшем доходном доме в самом центре старого Петербурга

Passing the gallery

A photo: Alexey Babaev, Victor Vasiliev

Text: Olga Voronina

Project Manager: Yuri Kombarov

Magazine: Na (47) 2001

In the majestic buildings of the old part of St. Petersburg, the spirit of history often dresses in modern clothes. Hide the past behind a thick layer of plaster - this is the traditional approach when converting former apartment buildings into modern housing. But if you wish, you can “revive” the story, make it part of your daily life. The apartment, which will be discussed, is unique in its own way. Its location is especially unusual - all windows have a view of the water. Assessing the great potential of the space, the owners themselves have thought through the interior of their future home, demonstrating a broad outlook and originality of thought. From designers and builders working under the guidance of Yuri Kombarov, only one thing was required: to help the dream come true. So, a new apartment in the heart of old St. Petersburg. The living room is central to it - just a storehouse of experiments. The brightest of them is the preservation of the exposed brickwork of 1825, the monotony of which is interrupted by rare fragments of "peeling" plaster. The islands of old masonry are a common technique, but few people decide to apply plaster on carefully scraped old walls. It seems that the shape of white spots on the red wall is arbitrary, but they are removed with a confident hand of the owner only in those places where obvious defects in the masonry were revealed. So the constructive defect turned into a decorative effect. Ancient walls dictated a special approach to the placement of accessories. The plummet and level - the constant builder satellites - were only a hindrance here. Eaves, window sills and other fastened on the principle of "visually must be exactly." This approximation from the point of view of a professional, of course, is unacceptable, but it was she who allowed to achieve the desired harmony. Attic suggested the creation of a full second level with access to the roof, offering a wonderful view. Thus, the total area divided into upper and lower “decks” seems not so big. An important principle observed when planning this apartment: space should not divide people. The owners say: "We tried to ensure that the apartment does not cause feelings of loneliness. We are so often away from home that when we return, we want to be together as long as possible." Even a two-star living room helps in the visual integration of levels. Being, for example, in an improvised office, located right under the roof, you can see what is being done below. Each item in this house has its own story. Getting rid of old things when moving to a new apartment with these people is not accepted. They are too sensitive to the past. Sometimes the owner gets the old little things and "instills in them the soul." Thus, a working radio station of the 1930s, a hand-mill, a screen, and other witnesses of a distant and not very distant past appeared in the house. Even a small bust of Lenin found his place here as a historical relic. This interior was created unusually, and lives a non-standard life. The feeling of peace and happiness envelops, like a silk cocoon, and leads to a seditious thought: are those apartment owners who decide to write their future life in a new house wrong? However, this is a very rare type of customer, so architects have nothing to worry about.Furniture for the shooting provided by the studio "Grand Design." Architecture of housing "(St. Petersburg)