two-level apartment in a Petersburg townhouse (160 m2) Mikhail Barashkov, Alexander Ivanov

Passing the gallery

A photo: Peter Lebedev

Text: Olga Korotkova

Architect: Mikhail Barashkov

Designer: Alexander Ivanov

Magazine: N11 (78) 2003

Garage, sauna, swimming pool, kitchen unit is the first floor. The living room and two bedrooms are the second floor. All together - this is a two-level apartment in a Petersburg townhouse. Everything is strictly distributed by function and strictly designed by design. Which the authors call it - "uncompromising design". In other words, the design is not for everyone. Petersburg architect Mikhail Barashkov himself creates furniture that he “invites” to the Cologne exhibition and is happy to produce in Finland. And Mikhail Barashkov makes modern European houses and apartments in St. Petersburg, such that it seems as if this housing is not with us, but at least somewhere near Cologne ... "It is not true, I don’t think so," Mikhail Barashkov objected. These are stereotypes that we have no such interiors or almost none. At least about Petersburg is definitely not true. Customers come to us who need not be agitated, they know what they want. They travel a lot, come to design exhibitions in Europe, well familiar with the latest trends in interior fashion. I remember a few years ago there was no such readiness yet, but at present the situation is different: many, very many people now, according to the level of “seeing”, do something normal and actively accept modern design and want to live in that context. , we had the idea of ​​a clean rectangle, and everything went from this purity: the staircase enclosed in glass walls, concrete and brick "decor", materials, furniture - these are the minimal statements that give the strongest emotional effect. In space, a state of maximum contrast arises, how to say it more precisely. Of course, it was possible to make it a bit more neutral in details, decoration, and decor, but designer Alexander Ivanov chose a different path. He brought the general conceptual idea to its logical conclusion: creating an interior did not soften anything. The textures - concrete with formwork holes, “bare” glass, brickwork, a rough slate floor with an uneven surface - further accentuate the impression of an already “sharp” design. That is the point. "Mikhail Barashkov: "When the structure becomes interesting? When it works on the limiting state: the mass is maximum, the cross section is minimal. Exactly such things are remembered. The same is with the architectural design. The interior becomes interesting when the category of contrast is expressed. It is better if it is the maximum contrast" .