Designer Daria Maksimova designed cozy apartments in the famous “house-book” on Novy Arbat for daily rent. The Japanese philosophy of restraint and Scandinavian comfort combined in this project with a fascinating view of Moscow

Sofa and armchairs, One Mebel. Coffee tables and decor, H&M Home. Pillow, Mariluxstudio.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

OBJECT PARAMETERS

• Property type: apartments in the historical “house-book”

• Where is located: Moscow, Novy Arbat, 15, LCD “The Book”

• Square footage: 50 m2

• Style: soft minimal

• The main idea of the project: Japanese philosophy of restraint + Scandinavian comfort + tactile materials

• Color scheme: monochrome, light rhythm, complex semitones of pastel shades

• Authors of the project: designer Daria Maksimova, T. +7(915)112-78-89, [email protected] , www.dariamaksimova.ru , @darmaks.interior

The apartments are located in one of the most famous buildings in Moscow — the “book house” on Novy Arbat, a recognized masterpiece of Soviet modernism. These houses were built in the middle of the XX century as housing for young families, but eventually administrative offices of eight ministries of the USSR were located there. In 2014, Sergei Sobyanin announced that in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the buildings would be reconstructed and turned into hotels. It was not possible to sell them all in one lot, and at the end of 2018, Capital Group acquired one of them.

Carpet, Scanddyy.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

They did not have time to prepare for the championship because of the fire, so after the end of the World Cup they decided to open a hotel complex in them. Part of the floors were occupied by the hotel, and the rest were set aside for the sale of apartments. Once on the 12th and 13th floors there were halls of colleges, buffets and offices of the administration of ministries, which is why these are the only floors with a ceiling height of 3.9 m. This is what bribed the owners of the apartment, who bought it for subsequent daily rent.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

The designer has been working with customers for several years — this is their fourth joint project. Therefore, the design concept was formed almost immediately. “For me, the customer’s trust is the most valuable thing, it determines the success of the work,” says the designer. “We clearly followed our plan.”

The layout of the apartments was offered from the developer, and it was forbidden to redo it. The apartments were rented with partial finishing of bathrooms and kitchen, so in order to save the budget, the owners decided not to touch them.

Hanging chandelier, 101 Copenhagen.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

It was important for the owners to use premium finishes and furniture, but at the same time to keep within the budget. 70% of the furniture here is Russian—made. And the quality of products, materials, finishes, customers strictly checked and monitored so that the housing turned out not only comfortable, but also did not lose its presentability over time after numerous visits of cleaning services. Another important wish of the clients was the complete equipment of the apartment — up to chess, indoor plants and books.

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Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

The main problem was the presence of protrusions and beams in the existing layout. All this had to be corrected without resorting to drastic interventions. In addition, Daria had to redo all the lighting in order to properly distribute it at such a ceiling height.

An equally important point was to create the right atmosphere in the apartment — so that future tenants would feel not only comfortable here, but also calm, protected, and completely safe. Therefore, soft, light shades are used in the decoration, and the warm, “amber” wood in the kitchen softens the bright white color and makes the interior feel more comfortable, as if enveloping from all sides.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

The kitchen-living room occupies a single main space. In the kitchen area there is a round dining table with a corrugated base and comfortable laconic dining chairs-armchairs completely covered with fabric.

Decor, Zara Home.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

The center of the living area has become a soft group: a sofa and two armchairs in “vandal-proof” upholstery, which is easy to care for and with which even a ballpoint pen can be easily cleaned. Due to the color and finish, the soft group practically dissolves in space. Coffee tables are an accent element that supports the rhythm, and the decor on them gives rigor to the interior. The balloon pillows on the sofa follow the lines of the chandelier, which, despite its impressive size (D = 120 cm), seems light and airy. Unites a group of carpet with a geometric pattern.

Floor lamp, SmartLum. Dining table, Tok mebel. Dining chairs-armchairs, Barcelona Design.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

The most unusual and interesting object in the interior, without a doubt, is the shutters more than three meters high, which decorate the windows in the kitchen and living room area. This is the first thing that guests see when entering the house. Because of such a high altitude, it was not easy to find a contractor who would undertake to make them. It took three months to calculate everything correctly, to choose the accessories so that everything turned out perfectly in the end. But now the shutters are the main decoration of the apartment and a real salvation from the sun’s rays on hot, fine days.

Huge panoramic windows compensate for the small area of the apartment. Shutters, the company “Doors”, “blinds.rf”.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

The bedroom is located behind a high graphic partition, the geometry of which emphasizes the rhythm of the shutters. There are blinds with wooden slats on it — you can always close them and retire to the room. There are several zones planned in the bedroom: a bed, a work area near the window with a beautiful view of old Moscow, a separate shower room and a small open dressing area with a mirror that customers purchased at an auction house in America. The cabinet and the lower console are made to order according to the designer’s sketches in the shade of the walls

In the bedroom, the main place is allocated to a large, comfortable bed. Next to it is a floor lamp with an unusual light (the same is in the living room): 16 million shades and several lighting scenarios are available for the user to choose from. The lamp can be controlled remotely using an application on your phone.

Bed, One Mebel. Floor lamp, SmartLum. Pillow, Mariluxstudio. Plaid and bedspread, H&M Home. Bed linen, IKEA. The bedside table is made according to individual drawings of the author of the project by the company “Modulline”.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

The monochrome scale does not look monotonous due to the rhythm with which the space is filled: the edging on the bed neatly emphasizes its shapes, wide moldings on the walls and plaster corrugated panels give the wall relief and volume — and all this is combined in the picture. The story of its appearance deserves a separate story.

“For me, art is one of the most important elements of the interior,— says Daria. — I always try to find exactly the kind of work that would bring everything together. So for the bedroom interior, the work of a Japanese illustrator who draws portraits of his wife was originally planned. But when my team and I saw the work of Elena Ivskaya “Swan Lake” in the gallery, we immediately realized: this is what we need. The rhythm, the air — we liked everything about it. One “but”: the dimensions did not fit. Then I wrote to the author personally, and we bought from Elena the work of the size we needed — 1,7 x 2 m.” Now she took her place of honor above the headboard of the bed.

Photo work, Elena Ivskaya.

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Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

In the guest bathroom, they did not change the finish, only added an accent grout. As a result, the bathroom turned out to be completely monochrome — a stylish and versatile solution.

Mirror, IKEA. Lamp, Centrsvet.

Photo

Olga Melekesseva. Style: Ekaterina Naumova

“I have long wanted to do something in a style close to Soft minimal,” says Daria Maksimova. — This is a story about comfort and the desire to escape from the harsh rhythm of the city. Based on the experience of previous projects, I understood that the main contingent that will rent these apartments are people of a new format. Not classic businessmen, but young people: bloggers and influencers. Therefore, I immediately bet on a future audience that likes the direction of Soft minimal.

And we got “to the point”. The first client who rented these apartments immediately after the renovation was the company 12storeez. They shot a lookbook for their new collection and a story about yoga here. Not the most common use of an apartment, but quite indicative: it means that we have succeeded!”

Apartment in Moscow. Daria Maksimova’s project.Ekaterina Sobko

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