Classic proportions and modern solutions — this is exactly how the representative of the famous media dynasty Elena Shkuleva presented her new apartment. Her dream was realized by the famous decorator Gulya Galeeva, and ELLE DECORATION published this project in its March 2016 issue

Living room. Sofa, Parker & Farr, wallpaper, de Gournay, armchairs, Saracole, armchair table, Chelini, couch and coffee table, Collection Pierre, lamps, Tindle, curtains, “Workshop of the Orphan”, candelabra Naarden, Labyrinthe Interiors, carpet from the Savonnerie collection, Art de Vivre. A custom-made cabinet with sliding doors hides the TV and music system. To the right and left of it are console tables designed by designer Gulya Galeeva.

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Giorgio Possenti

The owner of the apartment is Elena Shkuleva.

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Giorgio Possenti

Huge windows with a view of Moscow roofs, an abundance of bright colors — despite the respectable atmosphere, it is immediately clear that this is the interior of an apartment where a young family lives. “It’s hard to embrace the immensity,” says Elena, “but my husband and I wanted to combine different styles in one apartment. I dreamed of French chic, Artem thought of English classics. The living room should resemble an aristocratic salon, the study should be the interior of a closed club, the bedroom should be luxurious, and the colors of the entire interior should be fashionable. I wanted the apartment to be modern, functional, comfortable, without unnecessary pomp, but quite traditional — what is called smart luxury.

Both my husband and I grew up in a classical setting in the center of Moscow, and we didn’t want to change anything in our lifestyle. Finally, we have found a solution — a new house in the very center of the city.”

Dining area in the living room. The doors on the left lead to the kitchen. Above the fireplace is a painting by Yuri Herman “Abundance”. Chandelier, Vaughan, chairs, Collinet Sièges, table, cabinets and fireplace are designed by decorator Gulya Galeeva, paired candlesticks on the fireplace, DeLuxe Home Creation, fruit vase, Global Views, candlesticks on the table, Dessau Home.

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Giorgio Possenti

“Considering its uniqueness: a modern building, perfectly integrated into the historical buildings, a beautiful view from the windows, sometimes reminding me of the panorama of the roofs of Venice — we can say that the search did not take much time. When we made the final decision about the purchase, we wanted to move as soon as possible!” Agree that such tasks are often faced by decorators, but how many of them are able to masterfully cope with it? The answer to all the questions was found by interior designer Guli Galeeva.

A fragment of the living room. Couch, Collection Pierre, table, Chelini.

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Giorgio Possenti

“I’ll tell you a little secret,” says Gulya, “At the same time as buying an apartment, the owners were preparing for the wedding. Therefore, the interior turned out to be so bright and joyful. But we had to do this work in just six months!”

View of the hall. Chairs, Massant, Pendant lights, Vaughan, Floor candlesticks, Thomas Chippendale design, G&C Interiors, wallpaper in the hall, With A &Son.

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Giorgio Possenti

“Both my husband and I grew up in a classical setting and didn’t want to change anything in our lifestyle”

Office. Armchair, Marie’s Corner, upholstery fabric, Robert Allen, table, Mis en Demeure, floor lamp, Bella Figura, balls on a wooden stand, Atelier Antique, caskets, Asiatides.

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Giorgio Possenti

The first and most difficult task was the layout. All the windows of the apartment, except the office, face one side and are located for some reason unusually high. We even had to raise the floor level, but all communications were hidden there — the ceiling height allowed us to apply such a solution.

Office. Armchair, Marie’s Corner, upholstery fabric, Jim Thompson, figure “Attentive greyhound”, Lladró, lamp, Bella Figura. The wall is lined with old bricks, “Workshops of the German brothers”, engravings on the wall, G&C Interiors.

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Giorgio Possenti

The living room was combined with the dining room, and the kitchen was hidden in an adjacent room without windows. The light gets there through the double-leaf sliding doors and is reflected in the mirror, which occupies the entire opposite wall. A fireplace, a large table, comfortable sofas and panoramic wallpaper are classic solutions, but bright fabrics and modern furniture give this luxurious space a fashionable sound. “I’m a big fan of monochrome, an exquisite gray palette,” says the decorator, “But Lena immediately suggested working in a different direction.”

Bedroom. Bedside tables, Moissonnier, armchair, Collection Pierre, wallpaper and upholstery fabric of the armchair, Sanderson, couch in front of the bed, Collinet Sièges, table lamp, Bella Figura, screen and headboard are made to order.

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Giorgio Possenti

A good painting, in whatever style it is sustained, will perfectly suit this house

View from the bedroom to the dressing room. Armchair, Collection Pierre, chair, Hickory Chair

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Giorgio Possenti

From the living room, along a spectacular corridor decorated with plaster stucco in the form of a trellis lattice and therefore reminiscent of bosket labyrinths in French parks, we get to the private half: to the right — an office, to the left — a bedroom, to which a dressing room and a bathroom adjoin. Quite a traditional layout is disrupted by a modern move: the bath itself is located right in the dressing room. There is no need to worry about the safety of things — humidity is controlled by a ventilation system. By the way, like all the electronics in the house, the owners control it from their phones. Except that they resolutely refused electric curtains. “We have watched so many times how friends get confused in the buttons, trying to open or close the curtains, that we decided to do without unnecessary equipment,” the owners of the house laugh.

The bathtub is installed in the dressing room adjacent to the bathroom. Chandelier, Vaughan, accessories, Deluxe Home Creation, figure in the niche “Goliath Beetles in flight”, Objet de Curiosité, decorative flowerpot on the window, Labyrinthe Interiors

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Giorgio Possenti

“It’s hard to embrace the immensity, but my husband and I wanted to combine different styles in one apartment”

Guest bathroom. Mirror, Roberto Giovannini, chandelier, Bella Figura, sconce, Vaughan.

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Giorgio Possenti

The functionality of the apartment’s space was another important requirement: with all the scope of interior solutions, its total area is relatively small — 150 sq. m. The decorator provided hidden storage systems behind wall panels, and the hostess offered to hide the ironing system, along with drying and shelves for laundry, in one of the deep cabinets, providing it with an additional hood. Even the elevator lobby was decorated by the owners to their liking: with designer wallpaper and marble floor, so that it became a kind of continuation of the apartment. Flowers were planted on the fire balcony.

The owners are impressed by the principle of smart luxury — a traditional and comfortable interior without unnecessary pomp

“You won’t believe it: when I went out on the balcony, I saw the courtyard of the French school where I was going to enroll. My parents wanted me to study at a broader school,” Lena says, “but my love for France turned out to be stronger! After school, I went to study in Paris, and on my return I brought a piece of France to this apartment. By the way, our VS Unio gallery also works for two countries. Only now I turned out to be a “shoemaker without boots”. After moving, I took with me only a few favorite works — in the living room and bedroom. But soon a specially commissioned sculpture by Taras Levko will appear here, and then other works by the gallery’s artists. “We prefer modern authors who work in a traditional manner,— says Lena. “And a good painting, in whatever style it is sustained, will perfectly suit this house.”

Bathroom. Sconces, Bags, Plumbing, Devon & Devon.

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Giorgio Possenti

Dorozhkin Alexey

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