Design of a one-bedroom apartment in a Brezhnev building with eclectic and Eastern touches

Sterlitamak, Russia

Year of design: 2014

Size: 30 m²

Building type: Brezhnev’s brick 5-storey house

This is a very interesting project for an elderly couple living in a Brezhnev-era apartment.

Planning solution

The layout underwent slight changes:

Mainly to align the composition.
Center the geometry.
Create a niche.

Materials used in the design project

The goal was to preserve all existing furniture from different eras in the apartment, possibly adding some new pieces, but without discarding anything. By using bright textiles, restoring furniture, and organizing storage systems, we achieved the most expressive effect.

Sometimes I feel that elderly people have a much greater environmental awareness:

they are less prone to excessive consumption,
still use reusable bags instead of plastic ones,
buy milk in bulk,
and store everything in fabric bags carefully sewn by their own hands.

Color and style options

After a long search, it turned out that the couple is inspired by the colors of the Majorelle Gardens, Moroccan dyeing baths, and artistic glass lamps from the Marrakech market. We approved all hand-drawn sketches of textile and ceramic decorative solutions made with markers and pastels, incorporating one of the most complex colors in the interior — purple. The color harmony was built around a rectangular tetrad:

purple,
blue,
yellow,
orange.

Living Room

In the living room, we made a chest of drawers and their favorite Iranian carpet the center of composition.The chandelier was shifted to the center as well. Vintage table lamps were placed on either side of the chest of drawers. Above it hung a large painting. Previously, there had been a television on top of the chest of drawers that was partially hidden by the sofa.

The wardrobe that was part of the wall unit was also partially retained; it was repainted and placed next to the bed in a niche acting as a partition to block visibility from the hallway. On a small wall that formed, we hung miniature illustrations. We brought an armchair with an ottoman from the dacha and upholstered it in patchwork technique. The bedside tables were repainted and wall sconces were hung above them.

We purchased a glass IKEA TV stand and positioned it in front of the window. The transparent glass added airiness and light to the living room; we were able to place houseplants on its shelves. Floor pots were arranged at both ends of the room near the window.

Kitchen

In the small kitchen, as in most residential apartments in Russia, there is a small corner sofa with internal storage. Indeed, why refuse such a versatile piece of furniture? We sanded it down, painted it, and changed its upholstery.

The tabletop of the dining table was quite worn out, but the legs remained in excellent condition.Conversely, the legs of the coffee table from the living room were broken. It turned out perfectly to combine the asymmetric shapes of the triangular tabletop into the corner of the sofa, saving precious centimeters by removing an unused corner of the table.

A beautiful Soviet chandelier was moved to the center of the table, making it the focal point of the composition.

Above the sofa, we hung a volumetric poster. The couple rejected an idea featuring geometric abstraction by El Lissitzky. Among my photographs, they chose a picture from Yalta depicting the Swallow’s Nest, a place they often visited for vacations.

For the kitchen, we ordered a kitchen set consisting only of floor modules. We immediately rejected upper cabinets to focus on a retro gas stove and refrigerator. The kitchen backsplash was handmade based on sketches made from various shards of ceramic and clay tiles.

Bathroom

We managed to convince the couple to take their beloved “Bee” washing machine to their dacha and buy a more modern version.

We bought an over-mount sink and installed it on top of the washing machine. Storage was organized with small shelves next to it. Grandma wove a basket for laundry and a floor mat.

Hallway

In the hallway, there used to be a pantry where seasonal products and preserves were stored. The contents were moved to new storage places in the kitchen.

In place of the former pantry, we created a full-fledged wardrobe. Where there used to be a coat rack, we hung a mirror and placed a console table with a telephone.

A beautiful radio on the wall was complemented with decor and photo displays. In one corner of the hallway near the door, we placed a small bench-shoe rack.