apartment with a total area of ​​161 m2 in St. Petersburg Valery Kirdyaev

Passing the gallery

Text: Olga Gvozdeva

A photo: Peter Lebedev

Stylists: Tatyana Bakanova, Yulia Korzhova

Project author: Valery Kirdyaev

Magazine: N5 (94) 2005

This apartment is located on the Petrograd side, in a completely reconstructed old mansion. And so its owners can be attributed to those rare lucky ones who did not have to choose between modern comfort inherent in new buildings and the historical environment for which many tend to settle in the neighborhoods of the old city The author of the project claims that the identity of the owner of the apartment became the defining moment in the work on this interior. Being a professional in his field, the host respects the experience of others. Having ordered the apartment project to Valery Kirdyaev, he did not attempt to invade his territory, dictating his conditions, but completely trusted the designer. “It was the first time in my entire practice: we didn’t waste time on empty disputes. Understanding was reached from the first sketch, and almost all of the proposed ideas were implemented,” says Valery Kirdyayev. But, perhaps, even more surprising was the fact that this project is not only an attempt at architectural portraying a customer, but also a homework, a pure idea that for several years had matured in the designer’s mind without having a specific addressee. She even had a name, or rather, an image, in the verbal interpretation of which the nuances of the chosen style are very accurately reflected: “pearl on black velvet”. “I wanted to make an absolutely dark space, finding the right balance between light and dark,” says the designer. “In general, it was originally planned to make the interior black and white. Although everything is relative, the black color can be interpreted differently. Here, the key concept is“ ratio ” a condition that makes it possible to estimate this or that color spot to the maximum, because you realize the true value of a glass of water only in the desert ... "Architecturally, the interior is free from excesses. These are clean planes of walls and ceiling and spaces flowing into each other. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to speak about a simplified design solution. The image of "pearls on black velvet" is fully realized: the role of the pearl in the architectural scenario belongs to furniture and objects of decor, and the role of velvet is made of dark wenge parquet and black chocolate wall decoration. And if we go further along the path of associations, it is impossible not to remember that pearls are the only jewel that lives real life: it is born and matures like a living being. Our "pearl" is only at the beginning of its life ...Valery Kirdyaev: "I have long wanted to create a laconic interior, in which the main role would play color. The main task of the project was to find the perfect ratio of dark and light colors. This idea appealed to my client, thanks to which they managed to implement it almost completely ..."