Decorators Ekaterina Gafina and Yulia Nikulina spent a whole year traveling between Moscow and America. So their project was born — an apartment in Miami with a fascinating view of the ocean, which graced the cover of ELLE DECORATION in May 2015

Living room. Sofa, Baker, velour upholstery. Couch, Minotti. Tables, Ligne Roset. Poufs, Maxalto by B&B Italia. Planter chairs, designed by Warren Platner, Knoll. Console, Glas Italia. The coffee table is made to order according to the sketches of decorators. Chandelier, Le Deun Luminaires. Floor lamp, Delightfull. Carpet, Tisca. On the wall is the work of the artist Roy Lichtenstein.

Photo

Ken Hayden

Decorators Ekaterina Gafina and Yulia Nikulina met at the desk — in the classroom at the school-studio “Details”. Already during their studies they started working together, and after graduation in 2012 they founded their own design bureau Gafina-Nikulina. “Our office is located in Moscow, but we also conduct projects abroad,” says Ekaterina. — Work on the interior of an apartment in Miami required constant long business trips. We have already got used to living on suitcases and jetlags and even got into the taste.”

Kitchen. Cabinets, Leicht. Lamps above the “island”, Delta Light.

Photo

Ken Hayden

Apartments with an area of 350 sq. m. They are located in a high-rise building in the prestigious Sunny Isles district right on the ocean. The main trump card of the apartment is, of course, the fabulous views that open from the windows, thanks to which there were many people who wanted to get housing in this house. According to the happy owners, the ocean changes its color several times during the day, from pearl to azure — an amazing sight. After the first visit to the object, Ekaterina and Julia realized that the main task was to delicately emphasize the landscape.

Kitchen. Tulip table and Executive Armchairs chairs, designed by Ero Saarinen, Knoll. Buffet, Kettnaker. Serving table on wheels, Kartell. Floor lamp, Foscarini.

Photo

Ken Hayden

The colors and ornament of the owners’ favorite service became the starting point for creating the interior.

Canteen. Dining table, Gallotti & Radice. Chairs, Maxalto by B&B Italia. Lamp, Artemide. Service Initiales, Puiforcat.

Photo

Ken Hayden

The decorators’ customers were a married couple who, before meeting Gafina and Nikulina, preferred classic interiors. However, in the new house, the owners decided to retreat from the old, already familiar scenario. “Our clients got into the hands of the Initiales service of the French brand Puiforcat with a drawing in the spirit of constructivist artists,” says Julia. — The customers liked the color combinations and geometric ornament so much that they asked us to stick to the same color scheme. The owners wanted to see the interior in light gray tones with accents of red.”

Bedroom. Bed, Duxiana. Armchair and bedside table, Ligne Roset. Ceiling lamp, ClassiCon. Floor lamp, Pallucco.

Photo

Ken Hayden

The apartment is divided into three independent blocks. The first zone is private, it includes a bedroom with two dressing rooms, male and female, and the owners’ bathrooms. The second wing includes an office, two guest rooms, also with their own dressing rooms and bathrooms. The third part of the apartment is the front: there is a living room, a kitchen and a terrace.

“It wasn’t easy to work remotely,” says Ekaterina. — American contractors have become a big surprise for us. The organization of construction works and the approval of working documentation were, frankly, not easy for us. For example, an unjustifiably long time was spent on the wiring of ventilation ducts. We fought for every inch, as they say here, by any means trying to keep the flat and high ceiling in the apartment. Local builders for some reason sought to make it multilevel, with cascades of ridiculous boxes.”

There is a lot of glass, stone, especially marble, and wood in the decoration. The walls are plain, painted in light gray. Against this background, Roy Lichtenstein’s lithographs look advantageous. The pride of the customers is the artist’s personal signature on these works.

A fragment of the bedroom. The Womb Chair, designed by Ero Saarinen, Knoll. Table E 1027, designed by Eileen Gray, Classieson. Floor lamp, Delightfull.

Photo

Ken Hayden

Upholstered furniture was tested directly at the factory: from the rigidity of the seat to the tilt of the backrest.

Guest toilet. Sink, Aquabrass. Table, mirror, everything — Zucchetti.

Photo

Ken Hayden

From the furniture here, you can notice objects from Eileen Gray, Ero Saarinen, Warren Platner. “Two scarlet Platner chairs from Knoll became a bright accent in the living room,” says Ekaterina. — It is impossible to look away from the elegant interlacing of metal rods forming the backs. Besides, the seats are incredibly comfortable.”

The owners insisted on buying a Baker sofa for the living room, considering the furniture of this American company the most reliable. “We tested the depth, the angle of the backrest and the density of the filler together at the factory,” Ekaterina and Yulia recall. — In America, this process is jokingly called butt test. You literally “customize” the furniture for yourself. Another feature of working in the USA is that everyone is given a try, a test of strength. We are grateful to our customers for such an experience and a lot of positive emotions from working together. Rather, the ocean is a comparison more suitable for Miami.”

Bathroom. Bath, Antonio Lupi. Pouf, floor lamp, everything — Ligne Roset. On the wall is the work of Roy Lichtenstein.

Photo

Ken Hayden

Kananykina Elena

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