This home is where classics and modernity assemble to form an organic image.
Eclectic style is all about harmony and the coming together of disparate styles to create a cohesive, beautifully conceived home. That is exactly what this apartment located in an age-old building in Moscow’s historic hub achieves.
Hailing from St. Petersburg, the owner of this residence was looking in Moscow a historical house with a grand entrance nearby the Patriarch’s ponds. Because of the peripatetic nature of her work, she travelled a lot around the globe. Among the many countries and cities she has treaded upon, Paris and Milan are her favourites – both are versatile cities that abound with cultural diversity, the charming combination of the contemporary and the classic transforming luxury into everyday life.
Such a penchant for the finer things in life constituted the brief received by designer Daria Susekova, who is also the producer of the publication Elena Grabar. It suggested that the apartment shall be decked by the individual things and rare antiques of the owner and, yet, everything needed to be delicately balanced with contemporary features to steer clear of congestion, making the space lively and comfy.
Almost half of the apartment was occupied by a spacious and brightly-lit living-dining room with a small kitchen, separated by an island and windows overlooking the Bulgakov house. The grand character of this space was underscored by the swinging glazed doors with a stucco cartouche and an elegant fireplace decorated with an antique mirror from the famous Versailles workshops from France.
Since eclectic interior design is all about experimentation and play, the owner did have fun with the freedom it allows and took an active part in the process. Together she and Susekova selected and purchased a number of made-to-order items from Europe. Classics, Baroque, Chinese chinoiserie, large forms and subtle details featured prominently in the apartment.
In the living room, there were two Chinoiserie-style chests of drawers with delicate golden paintings that echoed the golden frame of the mirror, alongside two symmetrical Bohemian crystal chandeliers which ooze grandeur. Another highlight was the painting from Yegor Ostrov — created in his signature ‘raster’ technique, it conveyed how classics and modernity can team up to create new visuals and meanings.
In the private part of the apartment were two bedrooms for the hostess and her student daughter. The first one was designed in blue tones with elegant hand-painted wallpaper and a high-rising bed with a velvet back, which set a special scale to match other emphatically large objects. The second one was more girlish and delicate, designed in gray-pink tones with delicate paintings on the walls and chest of drawers.
Taking into account the owner’s love for Italy, the apartment employed a lot of marble, a feature especially salient throughout the bathroom, kitchen and hallway. From door handles to window fittings, all the fittings were made in restoration workshops that dealed with historical monuments. For example, the brass door hinges was exactly like the one used in the Admiralty Museum in St. Petersburg.
@susekova_design
Photos by Sergei Ananiev @sergeyananiev
Stylist Daria Soboleva @dasha__soboleva
