St. Petersburg Houzz Tour: Bold Apartment Celebrates Russian Life
Themed rooms pack all the colour and culture of the city under one roof for an offbeat place to host friends
This young couple recently moved to Moscow, leaving behind their shared apartment in the centre of St. Petersburg, Russia. They still wanted to have an interesting place to stay when visiting their hometown, where they would be able to host relatives and friends. So, they bought the rest of the apartment from their former flatmates, and asked designers Max Zhukov and Victor Shtefan to turn it into a colourful loft. They went for a design that celebrates St. Petersburg and Russian living with themed rooms modelled on some of the city’s most famous attractions.
It turned out that there was only one load-bearing wall in the apartment – the one in the centre. It helped separate the public areas from the quiet nighttime zones. The designers put in other partitions as needed. Since the designers kept the kitchen and bathrooms in their original locations, the permit process went smoothly.
The owners needed a large open common space and as many beds as possible without compromising comfort. What they got was a kitchen-bar-living room and five bedrooms. Sixteen people can now stay here comfortably overnight, and two additional guests can sleep on the sofa bed if need be.
The owners needed a large open common space and as many beds as possible without compromising comfort. What they got was a kitchen-bar-living room and five bedrooms. Sixteen people can now stay here comfortably overnight, and two additional guests can sleep on the sofa bed if need be.
“The owners themselves chose St. Petersburg as the main theme in order to show their guests the best their beloved city can offer, with a good dose of humour, kitsch and the industrial decor we love,” Zhukov says.
“The places [that inspired individual rooms] were chosen based on their significance and how we could play them up in the decor, to develop the theme in dramatic ways. This is how we ended up with [the following themed rooms]: ‘Isaac’ [referring to St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the surrounding square], ‘Aurora’ [the Cruiser Aurora, a historic ship docked in St Petersburg], ‘Vaganova’ [Vaganova Ballet Academy], ‘Circus on the Fontanka’ [the Ciniselli Circus] ‘The Amber Room’ [referring to a chamber in the Catherine Palace, near St. Petersburg, which has walls made of amber] and ‘Petrovsky Gardens’ [themed after the vegetable patch of the Summer Gardens, which surround Peter the Great’s Summer Palace].”
“The places [that inspired individual rooms] were chosen based on their significance and how we could play them up in the decor, to develop the theme in dramatic ways. This is how we ended up with [the following themed rooms]: ‘Isaac’ [referring to St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the surrounding square], ‘Aurora’ [the Cruiser Aurora, a historic ship docked in St Petersburg], ‘Vaganova’ [Vaganova Ballet Academy], ‘Circus on the Fontanka’ [the Ciniselli Circus] ‘The Amber Room’ [referring to a chamber in the Catherine Palace, near St. Petersburg, which has walls made of amber] and ‘Petrovsky Gardens’ [themed after the vegetable patch of the Summer Gardens, which surround Peter the Great’s Summer Palace].”
The Living Room
The living room was painted grey – a reference to St. Petersburg’s typical grey skies – but bright accents and the generous proportions of the red couches give the room a plush, playful and joyful feel. This room is modelled on “St. Isaac’s Square,” featuring a dome-shaped chandelier and floor lamps that recall the cathedral’s architecture. There is plenty of room for a big group of friends around the dining table, on the soft couches or in the matryoshka-armchairs, which look like they’re floating in air.
The living room was painted grey – a reference to St. Petersburg’s typical grey skies – but bright accents and the generous proportions of the red couches give the room a plush, playful and joyful feel. This room is modelled on “St. Isaac’s Square,” featuring a dome-shaped chandelier and floor lamps that recall the cathedral’s architecture. There is plenty of room for a big group of friends around the dining table, on the soft couches or in the matryoshka-armchairs, which look like they’re floating in air.
A themed interior demands fitting furniture, lighting and decor. As many of these pieces are difficult to find, a lot of the furniture in the home was custom-made.
In this space, the chandelier and floor lamps (and their “domes”), couches, matryoshka armchairs, the bookcase, and the hutch and bar counter in the kitchen were all made according to the designers’ sketches. The Fedora lights, pictured here over the table, were designed by Dima Loginoff for Axolight.
In this space, the chandelier and floor lamps (and their “domes”), couches, matryoshka armchairs, the bookcase, and the hutch and bar counter in the kitchen were all made according to the designers’ sketches. The Fedora lights, pictured here over the table, were designed by Dima Loginoff for Axolight.
The interior is not only about St. Petersburg, but about Russia more broadly: The designers wanted to showcase the Russian lifestyle, so they styled the kitchen to resemble a dacha. Somewhere in every dacha is an old hutch that had belonged to someone’s grandmother, so the designers recreated this ubiquitous symbol of summer living here. Its bright blue matches the overall design, while the rest of the cabinets were made deliberately simple to create contrast. The one-piece acrylic stone countertop ties all of the elements together.
The red telephone booth in the corner is actually a refrigerator. Black film imitates glass, and the top of the booth was custom made by a sign maker.
The large blue shipping container houses bathrooms. “Initially, there was only one bathroom, and it was just a room with a toilet – though it did have a window,” Shtefan says. “We added a blue container to it. This allowed us to add a bright, iconic, industrial element that also serves to conceal the bathrooms.” Moreover, they put in two additional bathrooms and added showers to all three.
The barrels on top contribute to the St. Petersburg theme: Each is labeled with the name of a local river or canal, and legend has it that each barrel contains water from the respective river.
The barrels on top contribute to the St. Petersburg theme: Each is labeled with the name of a local river or canal, and legend has it that each barrel contains water from the respective river.
Each bathroom is painted in a different color. Mirrors make these tiny rooms look bigger.
The Petrovsky Gardens Bedroom
Just off the living room, on the corner opposite the crate, is the Petrovsky Gardens bedroom. This room occupies what was once a sun room. It was a very small, narrow space, which caused the designers a lot of grief.
“At first we thought about turning the room into an office, but we managed to make it into an additional bedroom with the help of a a bunk bed,” Shtefan says. “The Petrovsky Gardens theme was inspired by the shape of the space: Two huge windows in such a room clearly recalled a greenhouse. So we added botanical patterns to the walls and floor.”
Just off the living room, on the corner opposite the crate, is the Petrovsky Gardens bedroom. This room occupies what was once a sun room. It was a very small, narrow space, which caused the designers a lot of grief.
“At first we thought about turning the room into an office, but we managed to make it into an additional bedroom with the help of a a bunk bed,” Shtefan says. “The Petrovsky Gardens theme was inspired by the shape of the space: Two huge windows in such a room clearly recalled a greenhouse. So we added botanical patterns to the walls and floor.”
The Hallway-Library
The barrels hanging from the ceiling in the hallway are actually pendant lights. They echo the barrels on the container and are in keeping with the apartment’s overall style.
The barrels hanging from the ceiling in the hallway are actually pendant lights. They echo the barrels on the container and are in keeping with the apartment’s overall style.
The hallway doubles as a library. The bedrooms opposite are separated by frosted glass partitions that let natural light into the reading space. The doors are flush and match the rest of the glass wall, so that they would not draw attention.
Take note: As in any Russian communal apartment, an old, out-of-tune upright piano once stood here. It had to be dismantled, and all that remains is its heavy cast-iron frame, which no one wanted to lug down the stairs – the building has no elevator. So, the designers left it in place to serve as a piece of decor.
The Aurora Bedroom
Modelled after a museum ship, this bedroom was designed to have two “decks.” This room is a favourite with kids, and with adults who remember childhood dreams of bunk beds. The ropes, lifesavers and blue floor reinforce the nautical theme.
Modelled after a museum ship, this bedroom was designed to have two “decks.” This room is a favourite with kids, and with adults who remember childhood dreams of bunk beds. The ropes, lifesavers and blue floor reinforce the nautical theme.
The Ballet Bedroom
Here, translucent tutus hang from the ceiling and a real ballet barre is mounted to the wall. Right behind it is a huge mirror that seems to double the size of the space.
Here, translucent tutus hang from the ceiling and a real ballet barre is mounted to the wall. Right behind it is a huge mirror that seems to double the size of the space.
“We made the barre ourselves,” Shtefan says. “The tutu chandeliers were custom made.”
The Ciniselli Circus Room
It feels like this room is under the big top, thanks to its striped ceiling, velvet curtains and red carpet. The room’s real-life inspiration is not far from the apartment.
It feels like this room is under the big top, thanks to its striped ceiling, velvet curtains and red carpet. The room’s real-life inspiration is not far from the apartment.
Mirrors and horse heads from Ikea; lamp shades: custom made
The Amber Room Bedroom
“Our task was to create an Amber Room without using amber,” Zhukov says. “So, we used copper paneling and fixed copper boards with the word “amber” written in different languages to the wall. Copper reflects light perfectly, just like amber.”
The lampshades are made of denim.
“Our task was to create an Amber Room without using amber,” Zhukov says. “So, we used copper paneling and fixed copper boards with the word “amber” written in different languages to the wall. Copper reflects light perfectly, just like amber.”
The lampshades are made of denim.
Each room has an information plaque like the one next to the window here, which gives a brief history of the place or monument that inspired the respective decor.
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What do you love about this home? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to save your favourite images, bookmark the story, and join in the conversation.
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Houzz at a Glance
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia
Who lives here: A young couple, on trips to St. Petersburg
Year: 2018
Size: About 1,830 square feet (170 square metres)
Authors of the project: Max Zhukov and Victor Shtefan of Totaste.studio
“This is not our first project with these clients, so all they gave us were some words to work by: ‘let’s be completely daring,’” Max Zhukov says. “The home was a run-down komunalka [a kind of communal apartment that was common in soviet times, which would have been shared by several people or even several families] that could have been a set for a horror movie: It was made up of a bunch of little rooms, some of which were pass-throughs. After tearing the walls down, we got a huge open space with 11 windows and an about 11-foot-high (3.4-metre-high) ceiling. This is what we started working on.”