Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: An Interplay of Materials and Patterns in Moscow
Architects define spaces in this apartment with graphic surface treatments in wood, tile and glass
The apartment had a relatively open layout when the owners moved in. Except for the bathrooms, everything was deemed livable space under Russian law, with no designated storage rooms or hallways. Because of this, there was no legal way for architects Albina Shorina and Georgy Kozlov of Domestic Studio to reallocate space or enlarge any areas.
They divided the available floor space into a kitchen-living room, a bedroom, an office and a spectacular entryway. They also added a laundry room with a pantry. Now the owners, a couple, can easily keep the house tidy.
Find an architect on Houzz to help plan your space
Find an architect on Houzz to help plan your space
The white cube of an entry hall creates a striking first impression. To get this effect, the team cut large porcelain tiles into pieces and arranged them into a pattern of squares.
The cube offers a stark contrast to the warm finish of the neighboring areas and emphasizes the graphic design of the apartment’s interior, where clean lines dominate.
The cube offers a stark contrast to the warm finish of the neighboring areas and emphasizes the graphic design of the apartment’s interior, where clean lines dominate.
The two steps up from the entry hall help contain dirt and demarcate the living space.
The clients like to have things neat, so the team paid special attention to storage. This large closet has a fun touch of yellow inside.
The clients like to have things neat, so the team paid special attention to storage. This large closet has a fun touch of yellow inside.
The floor and some walls in the living space are finished in engineered Brazilian teak. The owners chose this wood for its special texture and reddish hue.
“Russian wood species, no matter how much you stain them, never get so bright. And besides, they fade in the sun,” Kozlov says.
“Russian wood species, no matter how much you stain them, never get so bright. And besides, they fade in the sun,” Kozlov says.
They made a bench in the bay window out of the same wood. The owners had requested additional seating since they entertain often. The design also conceals the radiators; openings are provided in the wood and the Corian windowsill.
Floor lamp: Gubi
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Floor lamp: Gubi
Find a cabinetmaker for your project
The kitchen cabinets are slightly recessed in a niche. The backsplash is glass.
“We searched for the right wine color for a long time but didn’t find anything suitable on the RAL scale,” says Shorina, referring to a European color-matching system. “All the options they had seemed too bright or too pale. Then I saw a lipstick that was the perfect color, and that was my guide when we were trying out the samples.”
Pendant lights: Design House Stockholm
Browse glass tile in the Houzz Shop
“We searched for the right wine color for a long time but didn’t find anything suitable on the RAL scale,” says Shorina, referring to a European color-matching system. “All the options they had seemed too bright or too pale. Then I saw a lipstick that was the perfect color, and that was my guide when we were trying out the samples.”
Pendant lights: Design House Stockholm
Browse glass tile in the Houzz Shop
A 13-foot-long hallway leads from the living room to the bedroom. To keep it bright, the architects installed a transparent office wall, housed in white partitions to echo the surrounding walls.
The room doubles as a guest bedroom. The owners may use it as a nursery in the future, in which case they will add curtains for privacy.
Sofa and armchair: Bolia International; chandelier: LZF; floor lamp: Normann Copenhagen
The room doubles as a guest bedroom. The owners may use it as a nursery in the future, in which case they will add curtains for privacy.
Sofa and armchair: Bolia International; chandelier: LZF; floor lamp: Normann Copenhagen
Many items, such as the String shelving system from Sweden, are from Scandinavian factories.
“Here, we loved these kinds of shelving units only in the Soviet years, while the Scandinavians still produce these tidy and practical items,” Shorina says.
“Here, we loved these kinds of shelving units only in the Soviet years, while the Scandinavians still produce these tidy and practical items,” Shorina says.
There is more wood paneling on the bedroom wall. Shorina and Kozlov used different materials for the headboard wall and the floor. On the wall, they went for a nut wood with a more prominent grain. It’s laid in a chevron pattern for a decorative accent.
A walk-in closet leads to the bathroom. Its tinted glass fronts conceal its contents almost entirely.
Bed: Zeitraum
50 Out-of-the-Box Ideas for Bedroom Accent Walls
A walk-in closet leads to the bathroom. Its tinted glass fronts conceal its contents almost entirely.
Bed: Zeitraum
50 Out-of-the-Box Ideas for Bedroom Accent Walls
The team went for a “mirror on mirror” effect in the en suite bathroom: One mirror stretches from the vanity all the way to the ceiling, while an overlapping one extends along the entire vanity horizontally.
Guests are sometimes a bit disoriented by the 3D tile pattern, but the owners like this unique feature. Complementary subway tiles cover the adjacent walls. These are laid offset by a quarter brick from those above and below for a twist on the usual half-offset brick pattern.
Find cubelike tile on Houzz
Find cubelike tile on Houzz
In the guest bathroom, Shorina and Kozlov reprised the technique they used in the entryway by putting the shower into the space as a tiled box that, at the owners’ request, stands out from the beige-green tiles in the rest of the room.
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See stories about other apartments in the U.S. and abroad
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Apartment at a Glance
Who lives here: A young couple
Location: Moscow
Size: About 1,400 square feet (130 square meters)
Architects: Albina Shorina and Georgy Kozlov of Domestic Studio
This Moscow apartment brings together texture, light, graphic elements and clean lines borrowed from Scandinavian design. The result is a pared-back style that is big on sensory effect, using stark contrast to distinguish and embellish functional areas.
It’s also made for comfy living. Warm wood and carefully selected Scandinavian decor from both iconic and less well-known designers make for a cozy home.