The Hosts:
Leonid, engaged in printing trade
Tatyana, a sales manager in an advertising agency

Number of rooms: 2
Metric area: 94,6 m²
Ceiling height: 2,6 m

It was 2010 when Leonid and Tatyana moved in a new apartment on Skribnokilskaya Street. The district was chosen by the couple’s parents, and it’s actually perfect for a young family: with its well-developed infrastructure of a dormitory suburb, a parkland, sports clubs, shops, schools and kindergartens.

The interior design was worked out by the hosts, the ideas were coming from everywhere: designer magazines, Internet and shopping centers. Leonid and Tatyana were initially determined to give up the biggest room to a kid’s room, despite the fact that their son Timothy was just a gleam in their eyes at that time. The parents were utterly opposed to infantile wallpapers with teddy bears and frilled curtains for the playroom, and set their choice on a restraint concept. The kitchen is the family’s favorite spot. Though it was originally large, the hosts decided to extend it even more by joining it with a balcony. The main room is divided into two zones – a lounge and a relaxation one.

The hallway wallpaper with savage ornament was found by Tatiana, who just fell in love with this pattern and had to spend much time and effort to talk her husband into this choice. The combination of two colors in the hallway is meant to make it not so dark. Unexpectedly for themselves the hosts painted the ceiling purple and now plan to purchase a matching sofa.

The window was covered with a reflecting film for the sake of hiding from prying eyes of the dwellers of the house across the street.

While changing the layout, the balcony was added to the kitchen.

The wall separating the kitchen from the room was partially demolished and replaced with a sliding door with an Italian scheme, which enables to move the door without floor rails. The hosts were looking for it quite long.

The lacquering in the kitchen appeared quite unpractical with the arrival of a baby.

The idea of a wooden partition with glass shelves was drawn from the Internet. The imported project was a little worked further and implemented with their own hands.

The parents were dead against too infantile wallpaper with teddy bears and frilly curtains, and arranged the playroom in a restrained manner.

Timothy grows up very fast and the decision to make interior neutral seems to be more and more right and reasonable.

The Host:
Stephan, a concert promoter

Number of rooms: 2
Metric area: 66 m²
Ceiling height: 3.3 m

10 years ago, when the development of Marshal Zhukov Street had barely begun, the realtors’ offers were extremely advantageous, and Stephan’s parents decided to buy lodgings for him and his sister in a house-to-be. Back then the neighborhood looked quite different: lately in place of old five-storied buildings appeared newly-built high-rises, which resulted into a jump of real estate prices. On the other hand, boulevards and courtyards were replaced with a broad highway.

All the flats in the house originally were open-plan, and by the moment of purchase had an only load-bearing construction – a pillar in a lounge. Furniture was bought on an as-needed basis, and within first 6 months the only interior items were a table and a bed. However, in the course of five years the lodging has accumulated various details and a history of its own, since it frequently hosted loud parties. Although the neighbors didn’t complain much, with time the host gradually changed the party format for dinners.

Almost every furniture item in the house comes from IKEA. A striped arm-chair and a coffee table were one of the first purchases and for a long time stood in an almost empty flat.

Within five years the host got pretty sick of a blue sofa, but in his mental argument, whether to get rid of it or leave, practicality always scores him off.

The original idea was to separate the cooking area from the lounge with a bar, but in the end Stephan realized that he was not ready to sacrifice his passion for cooking for someone else’s comfort, and set his choice on a kitchen island.

Purple color, peeping out in details, is Stephan’s favorite color.

A wooden National Emblem of Armenia is a gift of the working gang, who were glazing the kitchen wall. It remained here as a keepsake.

Under the glass top of the coffee table there is a collection of wine corks and sugar bags, which Stephan brings from cafes and hotels.

Stephan sometimes stands by the turntables, but more frequently just listens to vinyl records. His collection features mainly hip-hop and jazz, including 15 records by Myles Davis.

Stephan supports “Dynamo” football club, which accounts for a blue-and-white pattern in the bathroom.

A George Michael blanket slip is almost 30 years old. It was purchased in Denmark, where Stephan’s family used to live before. Despite its venerable age, the blanket slip still serves faithfully.

A clock over the bed is a gift of Olga Soldatova, an artist.

2. Wise Ol’ Canister. A classic owl with detailed coloring and texture. The perfect accent to a contemporary bright white kitchen that needs that pop of color.

3. Darjeeling Cookie Jar. Jonathan Adler is the king of ceramics, and his cute and whimsical Darjeeling sculpted jar is a great understated accent to the countertops.

4. Tom Otterness “Mama Bear Cookie Jar”. A sweet animal sculpted item that’s got an inner gold finish.

5. Copper Canister. A fresh (yet slightly cyclical) approach to kitchen storage, copper is the hot new material to add some flair to any kitchen.

6. Doctor Who Tardis Cookie Jar. This fun cookie jar is also houses talking and light up elements for the ultimate Dr. Who fans.

7. Homemade Cookie Jar. Representative of your average country styled mason jar, this cookie storage piece is clad in all white for a fresh approach to storing your treats.

8. Floating Puffin Cookie Jar. A nice alternative to all of the trendy animals, and skull inspired pieces we’ve seen as of late.

9. Chinese Take-Out Box Ceramic Cookie Jar. Though it’s probably not the type of jar you’d display on your counter at all times, this one makes a fun gift and is a small reminder of the little joys in life.

10. Sweet Tooth Ceramic Cookie Jar. This one is self explanatory, the surreal look is cool, and might make you think twice about dipping in for a sweet treat.

The Host:
Andrew, a student

Number of rooms: 3
Metric area: 120 m²
Ceiling height: 3.3 m

At the turn of 2010 Andrew moved in an apartment on Ligovskoy Avenue to share a house with his brother Eugene, whose art studio is located on the upper floor. The interior design was entrusted to the architectural studio “Kapodaki”. A wall divides the space into two conventional parts: a public and a private one. The former includes a kitchenette, and the latter – Andrew’s bedroom and a music room.

Before the redecoration the flat used to be four-room, with a kitchen and a hallway – all with typical European décor. Within a year all dividing walls, except for the load-bearing ones, were demolished, a face-lift was made and furniture was ordered from Austria and Italy. Some of interior items, such as bookshelves, were ordered by the designers from a mini-furniture plant in St. Petersburg.

In place of the public zone used to be a room, a kitchen and a tight hallway. After the layout modifications these spaces were joined, and a bathroom door was isolated with the help of a screen.

Four windows overlook the sunny side. When the light gets too bright, the host just closes the shutters.

When a TV-set will arrive to the lounge is still an open question, but a space for it was provided for by the designers.

The designers made the bookshelves on their own, on a mini-furniture plant in St. Petersburg.

A colored screen is made from wood and steel.

The pictures by Eugene decorate both Andrew’s apartment and the studio on the upper floor.

There is a deep closet installed in Andrew’s bedroom, where both of the brothers store their personal stuff.

The Hosts:
Maria, a couturier, an artist
Victor, a graphic designer, an illustrator

Number of rooms: 3
Metric area: 75 m²
Ceiling height: 4 m

Victor and Maria moved in a roomy thin apartment in the height of 2010 after spotting an apartment-rental ad in a newspaper, which read as follows: “tenement for office to let with old floors”. As it turned out later, the flooring was pretty good, just un-varnished, and the space itself was partially furnished with old stuff. The landlord lives in Europe and he let the guys make all the necessary modifications. Thus, Victor and Maria painted the walls, bookstands and chests of drawers, and refreshed the old furniture of 1950s.

The couple was initially determined to do the redecoration on the rims. Maria was browsing Internet sites and searching the city for used furniture – that’s how they got a folding armchair and two work tables, which were painted white with time. Several items of furniture got wheeled. Globetrotters, the guys have heaped the dwelling with flea market stuff from foreign countries and local spots – Odessa and Kiev. The walls are decorated with paintings of friends and the dwellers: plenty of their works are posted to the blog.

The atmosphere in the apartment is working, though it frequently hosts spontaneous parties. There is a working area arranged for each of the roomers. Victor is engaged in graphic design and page layout, that’s why the bookstands and closets are filled with topical books and magazines. Maria needs space for work with her mannequin and patterns. Friends often call in on the couple and arrange photo and video photo shoots.

The big room is Victor’s working zone.

The pillow print is an anatomical illustration.

Evenings the roomers put a projector on the shelf and watch movies or sing karaoke.

The duck on the shelf cost 50 cents – it came from a second hand shop.

The guys collect vinyl records.

The closet is built-in.

Old suitcases were found near a trash can around Maria’s university. A bedroom cheval glass was here initially. It was refreshed and painted red.

Maria collects old metal boxes. Some of them were brought by Victor from a Barcelona flea market, but the majority come from Odessa and Kiev.

A fashion designer by profession, Maria decided to renovate the furniture by herself as well: the upper compartment of the hallway closet was removed, turned over, painted and wheeled, its handles were renewed and here came a new chest of drawers with doors on the face of table top.

Frida Kahlo’s portrait arrived from London along with Indian handles.

Maria’s studio. The bookstand features a photo from her latest collection.

The bicycle longs for spring.

That’s Maria’s working zone.

The wall features a Picasso reproduction.

A thrown out Maxim Gorky bust was dug out near Maria’s university. It was destined to become a part of kitchen interior.

A porcelain hand came from NYC, a toy by RCR Khomenko.

A Mexican-style skeleton was brought from Berlin by a street artist Sasha Gomer.

This is a childhood photo of Maria’s Grandma.

Perhaps you do not even think about what we can offer you the infrared heating, namely, the panel in the form of mirrors and paintings. Didn’t you think, engineering and technology has long reached the infrared heating. What is the convenience of such a system? Everything is very simple you don’t need to make repairs in the apartment, moving furniture, hire builders. Enough to bring in the wall hanger for infrared heating and in your house warm! In addition, the heating system is very economical.

The most important manufacturers care about their health, infrared heat will even contribute to your health and immunity. A big plus that the mirror is misting in the tub and not moldy. Infrared heating systems are manufactured in Austria, and for a very strict European quality standard.

The manufacturer guarantees not only the quality, but for the fact that the heating system looked good, and nicely fit into your house. The old and traditional heating systems are already outdated, and our system of infrared heating will be especially magic wand for people who suffer from allergies. Also the infrared heating provides a more favorable climate in your home. Heating panels are not only beautiful, convenient and cost-effective, but also will benefit you and your loved ones. More info can be found on official site www.infrared-heating.org.

Number of rooms: 2
Metric area: 45 m²
Ceiling height: 2.8 m

A two-room apartment by “Shchukinskaya” subway station in Moscow welcomed Maxim and Julia last January. Till then the couple used to rent a dwelling in a next-door house, so the big move was done under the cloak of night with the help of local street cleaners and small carts. The guys decided to stay in this very neighborhood, as it’s equipped with all the necessary infrastructure, and the ecology has a lot to do with it too: alongside there is a huge garden suburb.

Maxim and Julia were lucky to buy an apartment with a newly-made renovation: the ex-hosts extended the kitchen by means of a balcony and partially demolished a wall between the bedroom and the kitchen, having replaced it with a sliding door. Such kind of layout provided the ability to create two full-fledged zones within a tight metric area – the bedroom and the kitchen – which can be easily combined. Maxim and Julia liked the idea of a studio lodging and just supplemented it with a few interior details.

A spiral-shaped radiator was bought from friends-designers. It turned out too big for an initial customer, but perfectly fell in here. Besides, as the hosts confess, it’s ideal for drying socks.

The picture of Audrey Hepburn was bought by Julia on an open-air bazaar in Vienna.

Maxim ran into a red coral-shaped candlestick on a dump near his office. The waif turned out quite good for the interior, which needed scarlet accents.

A big round table is Julia’s childhood dream, which finally came true. It was also custom-designed. With an easily adjustable top, the table rapidly transforms into a nice ground for board games when friends call in.

Multicolored figurines are made by inmates of a children’s home – they came to the hosts through an agency, which patronizes this home.

The hosts are fond of cats. They already have a “Britishman” named Johnny and Chaplin, who is a Scot.

The couple’s hobby is collecting statuettes and toys of cats, which are usually brought from travels.

The monk’s statuette arrived from Vienna.

The pictures decorating the bedroom were purchased by Julia from a street artist in Rome.