Sculpturing Magic

Interior decorator and artist Anna Erman has transformed her client’s Moscow suburban residential property into a surreal, gallery-like residence for their avant-garde art and sculpture collection. The commodious 10,764 square-foot house was designed by young Moscow architects with a layout that was ideal for what Erman and her client had in mind.

“The layout was well-thought-out with voluminous high-ceilinged spaces. This enabled me to plan many different zones, including a swimming pool. It was a dream house for a decorator to work with,” Erman said.

The owners of the property are a couple with three children who are passionate about art and unusual décor. Erman worked with them on their first home eight years ago. They were upgrading to this larger property so they could accommodate their growing art collection. Their brief was for an open communal space where they could display their ever-changing art pieces, and private rooms for each of the family members. 

The house is composed of two levels and a mezzanine where a home office is located. White walls and floors throughout act as a neutral-toned backdrop for the display of sculptures, paintings and décor. Raw concrete ceilings, track lighting and exposed air ducts give the interiors an edgy, industrial feel. 

Within the open plan, the ground floor communal space accommodates a lounge, kitchen and dining area, along with a bar, game and billiard zone, and cinema. “Movie nights with family and friends, and parties for the children, often take place in this communal area,” Erman said. 

The mezzanine floor, which is used as an office, has been fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows so from this space one can look down across the open communal space on the ground level.

The master bedroom and the three children’s bedrooms are located on the second floor, and all bedrooms include their own bathroom and dressing room. The spaces were all decorated with art and décor the couple had acquired during their travels, as well as their favourite paintings and sculptures. Erman also made several handcrafted artworks especially for this project. 

Because the concept was guided by the art that fills the space, Erman worked closely with her clients to gather just the right items for the décor scheme. The idea of a sculpture with horns came to her as soon as she saw the layout of the house. 

“When the wife asked me to do something unusual and original, I thought for a long time and came up with the idea to put animal skulls on mannequins. The theme of horns impressed everyone, and we continued in the same spirit. I included décor with roosters, wild boars and horned objects,” she said.

She chose sofas and beds from well-known Italian manufacturers and ensured these large furniture items were of excellent quality and had the right scale for their respective space. She used technical lighting throughout and added chandeliers at strategic spots for additional illumination. 

Her clients had spontaneously purchased many of the décor items on their travels, so she had to give much thought to where to position these items. 

“My client’s first purchase for their new home were two unique black and white designer chandeliers they found in Paris,” she said. 

In a shop in Moscow, she came across a concrete Belgian portal for a fireplace, and it occurred to her that if the wall behind the fireplace was made entirely of concrete such as the one she saw, then the black and white chandeliers would create a striking contrast within the lounge space.

There was also a vintage Baccarat chandelier the clients wanted to hang in the bedroom, but Erman didn’t think it would work in that spot, so she tried the chandelier out on all three levels and in all the different rooms. She finally found the perfect place for it in the kitchen next to the extractor hood. 

“During the entire construction period, new paintings arrived from different countries,” she said. 

“Some of the things I had made with my own hands. These included a cabinet of perforated metal, a sculpture of a girl in skates, mirrors and floor lamps made of bicycle wheels, musical instruments, and old lamps. Also in the house is a textile collection I created with portraits of famous people.” 

Near the end of the project, Erman and her clients had seen a UNO – a massive wall mounted ram’s head sculpture designed by Verter Turroni for Imperfetto Lab – from a Milan fair report. At this time, they had almost completed the interior decoration, but they all liked the sculpture so much they decided to buy it and hang it above the fireplace. 

“My clients and I have known each other a long time and have already become friends so I knew what they wanted,” she said. 

“The mood of the interior was set by the clients themselves. They wanted the house to reflect their hobbies and interests. They are avid travellers and connoisseurs of modern art. 

“For example, the boat in the living room they’d bought in South Africa. Other items were purchased from flea markets and antique stores in Europe. They continue to add to, or replenish, their pieces, so this house continues to be filled with their wonderful art.”‭  ‬