The new restaurant "Rake" is located in a building with a rich history. It was built in 1881 for the exposition of the panorama "Storm of Pleven", then the circus of the famous Nikitin brothers opened there. In 1887, Albert Salamonsky bought out the circus and arranged a riding hall in it. In Soviet times, it was already a well-known cinema "Mir". “Considering the interesting story of the building itself, I wanted to use the theme of the circus that was once here,” says the author of the project. Alena Tabakova. - Therefore, I decorated the columns under the billboards. Hanged vintage circus posters and drawings. The central dome above the bar imitates the multi-colored dome of the circus tent. In addition, I wanted to create here something similar to a street European cafe of the 1930s or an open shopping arcade that usually adjoins the facades of buildings of many European capitals. Thus was born the image of a greenhouse gazebo with carved gables and a coffered ceiling. While there are no windows in the restaurant, it seems that you are in a cafe in the town square in front of the circus tent. ”

Address: Moscow, Tsvetnoy Boulevard, 11, bldg. 2, KC "Mir"

Oksana Kashenko: Designed all your restaurants engaged Alena Tabakova. Have you been working with her for a long time?

Roman Rozhnikovsky: Since the time of "Nostalgie". We did the first in the city, and probably in the country designer toilet room in a restaurant. Then the city’s first architecturally chosen wine cellar. Then we proceeded to the creation of the "Shatra", and off we go ...

OK.: From the experience of working in a magazine, I know how hard it is to find "my" architect. On the other hand, if such an architect is located, then 7-8-9 projects are then made with him ...

R.R .: Before Alena, I worked with different architects and once I realized that in fact all “love is dislike” is determined by just a few factors. Of course, there must be a coincidence of standards of beauty. They are all different, and I don’t want to waste time arguing. Further, the architect must be talented and experienced. But most importantly, he must have responsibility for the project. The restaurant is a business. Here you can not draw sketches and disappear. It is necessary to implement everything drawn and invented also, and within tight deadlines and in a certain budget. Here it is necessary to pick up the materials, and suppliers of furniture, to find workshops where they will make things according to our projects. In these matters Alena Tabakova - exceptional professional. She, like a caring mother, does not abandon her children, even when they grew up. That is, when the restaurant opened, it still continues to look after its design.

OK.: You talked about the coincidence of aesthetic tastes. But almost all your restaurants are made in different styles.

R.R .: Yes, because we do not stand still, we change. New images are born ... The buildings themselves are also influencing the interior. For example, here we have developed a circus theme, because the restaurant is located in the building of the old circus. I will say one striking thing: as a rule, all our clients get used to some one restaurant and are considered the best. If for the first time they came to us at Alekseevskaya, then the best restaurant for them would be Alekseevsky, if at Tula, then Tula.

OK.: Tell us about your greatest designer finds. After all, all your restaurants are different ...

R.R .: The first restaurant was created on "Alekseevskaya". When we did it, we imagined how on a gloomy day you see gray Moscow houses and you miss the summer cottage, the summer sun ... I remembered the Soviet-era Exhibition of Economic Achievements, Sokolniki Park ... And so it was in a garden-park restaurant furniture, greenery and the general atmosphere of the countryside.

The people saw it and appreciated. The next restaurant was on Pyatnitskaya. For me it was an extremely difficult experience, because there the restaurant is located on three floors! There we continued the landscape theme, but emphasized it with beautiful “old” accessories - fabrics with a classic pattern, cast staircases, and worn textures. There are also real rarities here - antique pump houses and kitchen utensils.

OK.: Do you attend many design exhibitions?

R.R .: Sometimes I miss, of course. But usually I travel to both Milan and Paris. This is such a drive - to watch new trends, to feel literally what design is!

OK.: They say that you love to buy antiques ...

R.R .: Yes. And some of it is successfully exhibited in restaurants. Almost everyone has something antique. Here are the real rare circus posters.

OK.: Alena Tabakova She told me that the construction of a restaurant in this room was very difficult ...

R.R .: Yes, it was not easy. The building is very old, it was impossible to supply electricity as we would like, but we solved this problem using energy-saving lamps and other tricks. And, of course, I also had to fight against the lack of daylight.

OK.: You can't even say right away that you don't have it here. It seems that you sit generally outdoors in the gallery ...

R.R .: I am glad that we managed to achieve this effect. Everything here is unusual: from a unique, but very complex room to special flower-lamps and the actual distribution area, which is also made in the spirit of an old fair, circus. Practically everything that you see was made on purpose, according to Alenin's drawings.

OK.: It is said that you invested a million dollars in the design of each of your restaurants ...

R.R .: I love warm interiors, honest, good, lived-in images. You can create them only through serious investments. It is objectively expensive.

OK.: Traditional question heading: what is luxury for you?

R.R .: Intangible luxury - rest. We work to rest properly.