ELLE DECORATION continues a series of video tours of the homes of famous designers, architects and decorators. Today we will visit the gallery owner and designer Marina Gisich. Stay tuned!

Living room. On the coffee tables, Cassina, there are vases, Wonderable, and an installation in glass jars by Alexander Shishkin. The wooden bench was brought from Bali. Wooden sliding doors designed by Marina Gisich are combined with it. Sofa on the right, Flexform. Lamps in the windows, Diesel for Foscarini. Curtains and lampshades, Rubelli, forged copper lamp bases on the tables were brought from Marrakech. On the sides of the sliding doors are works by Gleb Bogomolov from the series “Portraits of fictional heroes”, canvas, mixed media. Paints for walls and ceiling, Farrow & Ball.

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RICHARD POWERS

Watch the full video tour of the St. Petersburg apartment of the gallery owner Maria Gisich on our official Instagram page (an extremist organization banned in Russia) at the link, and Marina gave a small blitz interview specifically for our website.

How did you choose this apartment?

Gallery owner and designer Marina Gisich.

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RICHARD POWERS

I fell in love with this rather modest but elegant apartment building when I was still studying at the institute. Returning after classes, I often strolled along the Fontanka, dreaming that maybe someday I would live in a similar house.

The house was built in 1915 by the famous architect Vasily Shaub, academician of architecture of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He lived here until his death in 1934 and I was lucky enough to buy his apartment!

The purchase was far from simple and lasted for a long five years, during which I settled three communal apartments consisting of a total of sixteen rooms! And I did everything myself, saving limited funds — fortunately in 1997 in St. Petersburg it was quite real!

The second living room is also used as a dining room. The coffee table is designed by Marina Gisich from a fragment of a wooden door brought from Marrakech. Sofas, Flexform, lamps, Jeremy Coly, dining table and chairs, Poltrona Frau, carpet, Altai. On the wall on the left are photos of Evgeny Yufit from the Transparent Grove series. In depth, the work of Kerim Rahimov from the Human Project series, oil on canvas. On the right — portrait of Marina Gisich, artist Alexander Molodkin, canvas, ballpoint pen

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RICHARD POWERS

What did you have to redo?

The apartment was in critical condition, like many communal apartments in St. Petersburg. Huge rooms were sawn into small rooms — somewhere there were remnants of stucco molding on which we restored the modeling in the recreated volumes of rooms. At first, there were gallery rooms and a guest room for artists in the rooms with windows on the Fontanka River, but when the children grew up, the gallery moved, and in its place we placed a living room and a dining room.

Fragment of the second living room. The bookshelves around the perimeter of the walls are designed by the designer. Sofa, Flexform, mirror over fireplace, Boffi. To the right of the fireplace is the work of Kirill Chelushkin “Phantom” F-4. Heavy fighter”, canvas, graphite.

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RICHARD POWERS

A fragment of the kitchen. It is separated from the living room by a partition, which also houses the works of Alexander Chernogrivov.

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RICHARD POWERS

What was the main idea of interior design?

Working in old houses, I adhere to the rule: carefully store and restore what could be preserved, despite the time costs. Therefore, the task was extremely simple: we revive the spirit of the time inside the apartment, plus we imbue it with life, smells, music, emotions, trends and, of course, art
XIX century!

A fragment of the kitchen. Cipollino Ondulato marble on the floor, the hood and the light above the stove are hidden in a box made of etched copper. On the walls are Alexander Chernogrivov’s photomonotypes from the “Human Footprints” series. Kitchen set, Bulthaup, ceiling lights, Kreon. Behind the breakfast counter are stools, Knoll.

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RICHARD POWERS

What did you particularly succeed in the interior, and what would you redo?

Since the last alterations, I have been living in this apartment for seven years and I want to say that I still can’t breathe enough of it! This is my paradise, which I created myself for my family. But this year I finally want to bring the “children’s” floor to mind, and together with my 15-year-old twins, we are preparing moodboards and in July we begin to storm!

What is your favorite place in the house?

My favorite place in the apartment is one of the window sills in the living room, on which I climb every morning with a cup of cappuccino. From here you can enjoy a stunning view of the Fountain, shining under the morning rays of the sun! I think over a strategy for the day, calm my fire, look at the water, breathe, live happiness!

Bedroom. The wallpaper, Farrow & Ball, is pasted horizontally so that its pattern matches the pattern of marble in the adjoining bathroom. Bed, floor lamp, everything — Ceccotti, textiles, Rubelli, wooden blinds on windows, Mattura, light, Kreon, carpet, Altai. On the wall is the work of Kerim Rahimov from the Roadoff series, oil on canvas.

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RICHARD POWERS

One of the two bathrooms attached to the children’s rooms. Tile, Sicis, Plumbing, Falper, Table, Ibride. On the wall is a graphic by Lera Matveeva-Nibiru. 2

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RICHARD POWERS

What are your favorite interior items?

The most important items in our house are, of course, our collection of modern art! Everything can be redone, repainted, disposed of and possibly bought anew. But our collection will always be with us! I hope my children and their children will be proud of her and get endless and, importantly, real emotions from communicating with works of art!

Bathroom. The floor and walls are finished with Striato Olympico marble, plumbing, faucets, mirror, everything is Boffi, the cabinet is designed by the designer, light, Kreon.

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RICHARD POWERS

Is your perfect day at home?

My ideal day starts at 8:30, when the children have already left for school, and I, after a jog in the Yusupov Garden and a shower, with a towel on my head, sit on my windowsill, plan the day, catch the muse. After breakfast, I leave for construction sites, return home, have lunch with my twins after they return from school, go to the floor below to my 400-meter gallery, work out current and strategic issues with the team. Then I go up to the apartment, have dinner with the children, trying to find out from them how the day went, go for an hour to walk along the Fontanka with my dwarf marble dachshund Casper, then a bath, 30 minutes of Instagram (an extremist organization banned in Russia), a book for the night and sleep. God, how I love it all!

Dorozhkin Alexey

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