apartment with a total area of ​​100 m2 Vyacheslav Kuljasov, Alexander Afanasyev A fantastic model of a space orbit at the heart of the concept of an apartment interior. The combination of the aesthetics of ancient ideas about the cosmos and the realities of the third millennium

Passing the gallery

A photo: Vitaly Nefedov

Text: Dmitry Kopylov

Architect: Vyacheslav Kulyasov

Designer: Alexander Afanasyev

Builder: Igor Gift

Magazine: N1 (57) 2002

Each in its own way represents Cosmos and Chaos. One can hardly doubt that the authors of this apartment give a clear preference to Cosmos. "Orbit" (the conventional name of the object sounded exactly like this) of architects Kulyasov and Afanasyev is their own fantastic "text", saturated with associations and parallels from half-forgotten legends and myths about unknown and invisible worlds The “twisted” living room became the logical and intellectual center of a small (100 sq. M.) Quite standard two-room apartment: this effect is created by “orbital” circles on the floor and ceiling. Outwardly, the living room does not correspond to the stereotypical notion of the “for guests” room and rather resembles a mess room in a super comfortable starship. The main attention is attracted by the radically "cosmic" aesthetic floor: dark blue, with "fantastic" illumination, it literally "reverses" the earthly ideas about the earth-sky vertical, because instead of solid wood, the floor is associated with a starry sky. Thanks to the deliberately coarse, "cave" texture of the walls, the light is not scattered, but it seems to be completely absorbed by this aggressively calm cosmic blue. The glossy stretch ceiling with metallized spraying expressively "duplicates" the floor pattern. In the center of the ceiling is a white sphere, where a lighting design is placed, claiming at least a model of the galaxy. The cosmo-techno style is convincingly underlined by the spider shape of the chandelier associated with the radar screen. It radiates a powerful luminous flux to the "orbital" semicircular sofa. Stylistically and philosophically significant image in the living room - a design in the form of a ball of impressive size. This decoration is perceived as a model of the planet, and the water constantly circulating around the rounded surface, an ancient symbol of life, seems to contradict the earthly notion that in transcendent worlds it is only a “kingdom of the dead”. The “bionic” opposition to the cold star-blue color (which is the main one in the apartment) constitutes the aquarium world. This independent entertainment objects, and functionally important interior details: huge, under a ton of water, tanks (making chrome-plated panels for them has become one of the most difficult decorative tasks) separate the sleeping area from the office. The original chandelier, reminiscent of a flexible willow branch, logically closes the theme of "wildlife." Sliding translucent doors separate the living room from the bedroom, one of the walls of which is an element of the general "orbital" circle of the apartment. The kitchen is made of stainless corrugated sheet using frosted glass and frosted silver. In the "Orbit" of Kulyasov and Afanasyev, the ancient ideas about the Cosmos and the realities of the third millennium are combined in a single aesthetics. It seems that at one point (or one space) not only extremes, but also times converge. This space is a cozy "residential" ship, quietly hovering over the noisy metropolis. A city that seems to have nothing to do with whether the stars still shine above it ...Alexander Afanasyev: “The idea to make a techno-space apartment appeared as soon as the customer expressed his wish:“ Here I want to think about the eternal. ”Steel and the color of the night sky dominate the entire apartment, and the layout resembles extraterrestrial space orbits.”