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Moscow Houzz Tour: Flexible and Elegant Design on a Deadline
Careful budget planning allowed these architects to renovate their home in only 3 months — and experiment along the way
Екатерина Перминова
16 June 2019
“The secret to a fast renovation is having a fixed budget,” Russian architect Viktoria Korotetskaya says. “If the client knows there is a fixed budget and pays the invoices when they’re due, then the materials are bought on time, the contractors paid properly and the project, too, is completed when planned.”
Armed with a precise plan – a detailed list of materials, costs, and even order and payment dates – married architects Dmitry Korotetsky and Viktoria Korotetskaya were able to move into their new home after only three months of renovations.
Armed with a precise plan – a detailed list of materials, costs, and even order and payment dates – married architects Dmitry Korotetsky and Viktoria Korotetskaya were able to move into their new home after only three months of renovations.
Portrait by Olga Elina
House At a Glance
Who lives here: Architects Dmitry Korotetsky and Viktoria Korotetskaya
Location: Moscow Area, Russia
Size: About 540 square feet (50 square metres)
Dmitry Korotetsky and Viktoria Korotetskaya are two popular – and therefore busy – architects who had no time to renovate their apartment. So, they didn’t make any drawings ahead of time; they just picked materials and furniture from experience.
House At a Glance
Who lives here: Architects Dmitry Korotetsky and Viktoria Korotetskaya
Location: Moscow Area, Russia
Size: About 540 square feet (50 square metres)
Dmitry Korotetsky and Viktoria Korotetskaya are two popular – and therefore busy – architects who had no time to renovate their apartment. So, they didn’t make any drawings ahead of time; they just picked materials and furniture from experience.
Photos by Sergey Krasyuk
Their aim was to create a separate room for their baby, an office for two, a living room, a kitchen and their own bedroom. They also needed to add storage space — and all this within the available 540 square feet (50 square metres).
Their aim was to create a separate room for their baby, an office for two, a living room, a kitchen and their own bedroom. They also needed to add storage space — and all this within the available 540 square feet (50 square metres).
“We didn’t change the layout, because there were no partitions in the apartment. But there were also other problems: The gas water heater and a bunch of pipes in the kitchen could not be concealed,” Viktoria says. “We placed the kitchen cabinetry about 20 centimetres [eight inches] from the wall and hid all the pipes in that space.” The wall of cabinets and backsplash are removable to allow access to the plumbing.
They selected a stainless-steel backsplash that goes well with the gas stove.
Viktoria and Dmitry made the choice to limit clutter in the living room, so that their son would have enough space to move around. That’s why their bedroom is partitioned from the rest of the living room with a curtain. This low-cost option divides the space and breaks up the uniformity of the interior.
“The less straightforward the organization of a small space, the bigger it looks. That’s why we added complexity to the apartment’s geometry in various ways: with mirrors, fabric partitions and bright patterns.” Dmitry says. “We needed a bold accent that would add an outrageous and colourful element. That’s why we chose the plant-themed wallpaper.”
This wallpaper is framed with a wide band of mirrors, which helps make the space appear more complex. On their first visit, guests inevitably start searching for the nonexistent extension to the room.
A few paintings adorn the home. One is a copy by Dmitry, another was inherited.
The concrete ceiling was left almost entirely unchanged. The couple just cleaned it and applied a primer. They put a white false ceiling in the kitchen.
The dining table was a late addition, but it’s become the centrepiece of the composition. “We thought of it right when the renovation was finishing. It had been collecting dust in our garage for a long time. It’s a perfect fit for our interior, and there was no reason to look for an alternative,” Dmitry says.
The dining table was a late addition, but it’s become the centrepiece of the composition. “We thought of it right when the renovation was finishing. It had been collecting dust in our garage for a long time. It’s a perfect fit for our interior, and there was no reason to look for an alternative,” Dmitry says.
They also had some pieces left over from other projects. “There was a plaque with the name of our studio. It would have been a shame to throw it away. We decorated the front door with it,” Viktoria says. “Also, in the hallway are two doors dating back to the early twentieth century, which had belonged to a former client. We moved them from apartment to apartment for years, and we have finally found a place for them in the entrance hall.”
The hundred-year-old doors were repainted and then made to look aged. Now they are multipurpose: the handles are great for hanging a shoehorn.
There were also some experiments. Dmitry and Viktoria had long wanted to use Ural marble. They used it in the bathroom, on the kitchen floor and in the hallway. “It was not the best of choices,” Viktoria says, laughing. “It looks great, but it’s a hassle in everyday use. We don’t recommend it to our clients.”
Marble can be difficult to care for: It takes longer to clean than other materials and it stains easily, being especially susceptible to acidic materials. So, dying hair near a marble surface or using certain household cleaners becomes more difficult. Marble also contains iron, which may rust over time when exposed to water, potentially ruining the effect.
Another solution the architects had been itching to try for a while was leaving the aerocrete walls unsanded. This turned out to be a better idea: It looks great in the hallway, bathroom and nursery.
Marble can be difficult to care for: It takes longer to clean than other materials and it stains easily, being especially susceptible to acidic materials. So, dying hair near a marble surface or using certain household cleaners becomes more difficult. Marble also contains iron, which may rust over time when exposed to water, potentially ruining the effect.
Another solution the architects had been itching to try for a while was leaving the aerocrete walls unsanded. This turned out to be a better idea: It looks great in the hallway, bathroom and nursery.
For the baby, they designed a separate room where they put a bed, changing table and nursing chair.
The decorations here also come from old projects: The upside-down rabbit head was once a sign. A white circle of painted MDF with a diode strip serves as a night light and ties the room’s decor together.
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