New Life in old walls: Elena Gorenstein’s project Design 15.06.2022 How to start a new life in the old walls? The decorator Elena Gorenstein was responsible for the magical transformation of the apartment in the Stalinist house of the 1940s The apartment is located in Kolokolnikov Lane in the area of Tsvetnoy Boulevard. “A house with a history is interesting in itself. On the facade there are memorial plaques with the names of famous residents,” says decorator Elena Gorenstein. — The apartment that my customers bought used to belong to an actress. The atmosphere here was unusual.” The house is located in the area of Tsvetnoy Boulevard, the Windows (and there are 9 of them in the apartment!) overlook the courtyard. Photo Sergey Ananyev The designer wanted to preserve the special charm of Soviet architecture, but to make the interior comfortable for the new owners — a young couple. Therefore, the layout had to be completely changed. Kitchen. Floor cabinets, Minacciolo. Photo Sergey Ananyev Originally there were four isolated rooms, a narrow kitchen and a cramped bathroom with a window. Living room. Sofa, Roche Bobois. On the wall is the work of Alexandra Gorlitsyna. Photo Sergey Ananyev “This standard plan was outdated and was not suitable for my clients at all,” says the decorator. — The peculiarity of the new layout is that it does not imply isolated rooms. Canteen. Armchairs, vintage, Mobeledom showroom. Antique table, USA. Lamp, Italy. Photo Sergey Ananyev The movement through the apartment is continuous. Everyone communicates, and no one gets bored.” The bathrooms were moved to a separate block in the center of the apartment. Living room. Sofa, Roche Bobois. At the table there is a vintage armchair, a Mobeledom showroom. Photo Sergey Ananyev The main route runs around this “volume”: from the hallway you can get into the living room, from there in a circle to the corner kitchen and through the hall to the bedroom. Kitchen. Floor cabinets, Minacciolo. Hanging boxes are made to order according to the sketches of the decorator in the carpentry workshop. Photo Sergey Ananyev The main advantage of the space is 9 windows. Even in the kitchen there are two of them. And, of course, the ceiling height is 3.4 m. “Due to the dismantling of the old parquet, we won an additional 22 cm,” says Elena. “While the rotten boards were being removed, it turned out that it was much more profitable to make a threshold at the door than to increase the floor level again.” A fragment of the living room. One of the walls is lined with mirror panels, which reflect the windows. This technique helped to make the room brighter. Photo Sergey Ananyev There are enough storage systems in the new plan: in the corridor to the left of the entrance there is a large wardrobe, at the entrance to the living room there is a ceiling—high rack for a large home library, next to the bedroom there is a dressing room. Living room. The library cabinet was commissioned according to the sketches of the decorator in the carpentry workshop. The stucco cornices are the work of Denis Stretovich. Photo Sergey Ananyev The work on the interior lasted for three years. “During this time, a baby appeared in the family. And we have another customer,” says Elena. — The nursery was placed right behind the bedroom. Bedroom. The bed is made to order according to the sketches of the decorator. There is a portrait of the hostess on the wall. Photo Sergey Ananyev The color scheme of these rooms is more airy and transparent. There are no such thick colors here as in the living room and kitchen.” The ceilings in the apartment are decorated in sgraffito technique. Hallway. The decorator took out the bathrooms (master and guest) in a separate block in the center of the apartment. Photo Sergey Ananyev “It seems as if the ceiling was painted a long time ago and then beautifully “aged” for a long time. The stucco cornices are the work of the sculptor Denis Stretovich,” says Elena. Decorative plaster with patina effect is used in the bathroom. Plumbing and furniture in contrast are very modern and concise. “The contrast of the old and the new is generally one of our favorite themes,” the decorator admits. “The playground was perfect in this sense.” www.elenagorenshtein.com The owners’ bathroom. The walls are covered with decorative plaster with a patina effect. Photo Sergey Ananyev Guest bathroom. Sink, Agape. Lamp, vintage. Photo Sergey Ananyev Kananykina Elena Original content from the site