St. Petersburg Houzz Tour: Nordic Minimalism With Chevron Details
Bay windows, chevron wood floors, open rooms and minimalist decor bring Scandinavian style to a Russian home
This apartment, which offers a view of St. Petersburg’s central Griboyedov Canal, is located on the top floor of a two-century old multifamily residential house. The building was repeatedly rebuilt by a number of architects, but its most striking features – its high ceilings and bay windows with a view – have endured to the present day. Tasked with the latest redesign of this historic space, Alexander Malinin and Anastasia Sheveleva of INT2architecture brought in deep colours and a combination of contrasting textures like wood and cement tiles.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of four, who normally live outside Russia
Location: Downtown St. Petersburg, Russia
Size: About 2,315 square feet (215 square metres)
Architects: Alexander Malinin and Anastasia Sheveleva of INT2architecture
Who lives here: A family of four, who normally live outside Russia
Location: Downtown St. Petersburg, Russia
Size: About 2,315 square feet (215 square metres)
Architects: Alexander Malinin and Anastasia Sheveleva of INT2architecture
Pictured: what the space looked like after the old finishes were removed
The home consists of two originally separate apartments, which had been joined with an archway. It had been decorated in a style that was popular in Russia the 1990s.
For this renovation, all non-load-bearing partitions were torn down, plasterboard was removed from the walls and the floorboards were pulled up. It turned out that the floor levels of the two apartments differed by 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimetres), so an extra layer had to be added to one to make them level.
Luckily, the house had already undergone a complete overhaul in which the old wooden floor structure had been replaced with precast concrete slabs and metal beams. This allowed the team to save a little on the renovation of the floor. The wiring, plumbing, radiator system and windows throughout the apartment had also already been replaced. However, the architects did install single-frame turn-and-tilt windows to replace the original Finnish-style double-frame windows.
The home consists of two originally separate apartments, which had been joined with an archway. It had been decorated in a style that was popular in Russia the 1990s.
For this renovation, all non-load-bearing partitions were torn down, plasterboard was removed from the walls and the floorboards were pulled up. It turned out that the floor levels of the two apartments differed by 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimetres), so an extra layer had to be added to one to make them level.
Luckily, the house had already undergone a complete overhaul in which the old wooden floor structure had been replaced with precast concrete slabs and metal beams. This allowed the team to save a little on the renovation of the floor. The wiring, plumbing, radiator system and windows throughout the apartment had also already been replaced. However, the architects did install single-frame turn-and-tilt windows to replace the original Finnish-style double-frame windows.
Apartment layout
The owners live abroad and come to St. Petersburg from time to time. So, it was important to make this apartment a functional space for four to five people. The architects designed a layout with two separate bedrooms and bathrooms, an open kitchen-living room area, a study, a laundry room and a steam room. The owners asked them to keep the emergency fire exit in the bathroom.
The owners live abroad and come to St. Petersburg from time to time. So, it was important to make this apartment a functional space for four to five people. The architects designed a layout with two separate bedrooms and bathrooms, an open kitchen-living room area, a study, a laundry room and a steam room. The owners asked them to keep the emergency fire exit in the bathroom.
The living room is the heart of the apartment. Its focal point is a wood-burning fireplace with a birch plywood finish. Fireplaces in downtown areas are not common: In Russia, while existing fireplaces may continue to be used, new ones can only be built on the top floor of a building – as was luckily the case here.
The old ventilation duct that went from the apartment to the attic was dismantled and replaced with a metal one: This allowed the team to save space by making the firebox smaller. The steel firebox was fitted with energy-efficient Super Isol insulation, and the birch plywood finish was coated with a noncombustible compound.
The island, extractor hood and kitchen countertop are decorated in textured artificial stone.
Chairs and bar stools: Neva, by Artisan; dining table: Jugo by Artisan; single-wall kitchen by Giulia Novars; fireplace: custom-made in Italy by Grilli Caminetti
The old ventilation duct that went from the apartment to the attic was dismantled and replaced with a metal one: This allowed the team to save space by making the firebox smaller. The steel firebox was fitted with energy-efficient Super Isol insulation, and the birch plywood finish was coated with a noncombustible compound.
The island, extractor hood and kitchen countertop are decorated in textured artificial stone.
Chairs and bar stools: Neva, by Artisan; dining table: Jugo by Artisan; single-wall kitchen by Giulia Novars; fireplace: custom-made in Italy by Grilli Caminetti
The entrance to the guest bathroom and steam room is nestled in the plywood bookcase in the living room. The steam room was finished in marble slabs, while the “dry” area sports birch plywood.
Copper lights over the bookcase: Star 6 Wall Lamp by Örsjö Belysning.
Copper lights over the bookcase: Star 6 Wall Lamp by Örsjö Belysning.
The benches and floor in the steam room are heated, and there is soft LED lighting under the benches and in the walls.
The kitchen and hallway to the rest of the home – pictured here and visible to the right of the fireplace in an earlier photo – are augmented with walnut flooring. They are also partitioned with double-sided closets. These house outdoor clothes on the hallway side, and appliances in the kitchen. They were purposely built to end well clear of the ceiling, to allow more light to flow through.
The laundry room comes off of this hallway through a hidden doorway: The invisible door with a Chameleon frame is covered with wood and mounted flush with the wall.
Flooring: double-layer T&G boards by Coswick
The laundry room comes off of this hallway through a hidden doorway: The invisible door with a Chameleon frame is covered with wood and mounted flush with the wall.
Flooring: double-layer T&G boards by Coswick
The study is primarily used for informal after-dinner chats. The owners like to listen to music and smoke cigars here. The architects made the space dark and intimate, the colour choice helping to draw in the dimensions of the room.
The vintage teak bookcase and sideboard, which features a bio-fireplace, look great against the deep blue background. The wall over the sideboard is decorated with horns bought from various vendors on Avito, a Russian online marketplace; their triangular bases were custom made.
The vintage teak bookcase and sideboard, which features a bio-fireplace, look great against the deep blue background. The wall over the sideboard is decorated with horns bought from various vendors on Avito, a Russian online marketplace; their triangular bases were custom made.
Sofa and armchair in black leather: by Børge Mogensen for Fredericia; Elegante bio-fireplace by DP Design; coffee and side tables: Bowl table, by Ayush Kasliwal for Mater; copper pendant light: Kvist Pendant Light by Örsjö Belysning; sideboard made to measure.
The apartment has two full bedrooms. This one features white walls and a grey-green ceiling: This brings the extremely tall ceiling a little closer. This room also features the home’s second bay window, which has been turned into a comfy spot for some alone time.
Bed with American walnut frame: Indigo by Philipp Selva; closet with printed pattern by The Idea; chair in the bay window: Neva Lounge by Artisan; bedside tables: Bloop and Luc by Artisan; sideboard under TV: Invito by Artisan; rug by Bolia.
Bed with American walnut frame: Indigo by Philipp Selva; closet with printed pattern by The Idea; chair in the bay window: Neva Lounge by Artisan; bedside tables: Bloop and Luc by Artisan; sideboard under TV: Invito by Artisan; rug by Bolia.
The bedroom en suite is divided length-wise into a wet area – finished in two-toned porcelain stoneware – and a dry area with painted walls. The vanity is a vintage teak sideboard from the ’60s, brought in the UK and made to fit: A hole was cut for the sink drainpipe and the top was covered with colourless wax for waterproofing.
Cement tiles by Mocaic Del Sur ; porcelain stoneware: by Viva Ceramica; mirror: Vora, by Bolia; bathtub: Inbe by Clou
Cement tiles by Mocaic Del Sur ; porcelain stoneware: by Viva Ceramica; mirror: Vora, by Bolia; bathtub: Inbe by Clou
The second bedroom is multifunctional. The area along the windows features a breakfast table and fitness equipment. A plywood niche adds visual interest. A rolling partition divides the bedroom from the laundry room.
Bed: People A by Pinca; American walnut breakfast table: Cena, by Zeitraum; chairs: Neva by Artisan; laundry room cabinets: Giulia Novars; laundry room shelves: Strap by Bolia
Bed: People A by Pinca; American walnut breakfast table: Cena, by Zeitraum; chairs: Neva by Artisan; laundry room cabinets: Giulia Novars; laundry room shelves: Strap by Bolia
The finishings for the second bedroom’s en suite are a repeat of the design of the first bathroom, with some differences in the pattern of the floor tiles and in the shade of the wall paint. The vanity is, once again, a repurposed sideboard.
Cement tiles: by Mosaic Del Sur; mirror: Vora, by Bolia
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Cement tiles: by Mosaic Del Sur; mirror: Vora, by Bolia
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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.