Project: Sadovie Kvartali
Architects: Babayants Architects
Location: Moscow, Russia
Area: 2,238 sf
Photographs by: Sergey Krasuyk
Sadovie Kvartali by Babayants Architects
Babayants Architects has designed the interior of an apartment in the residential complex “Sadovie Kvartali” in Moscow. It was one of the most complicated projects in the bureau’s portfolio. To better understand this project, let’s get acquainted with the design philosophy.
Design Philosophy
Babayants Architects apply an architectural approach to designing the interior. In the first place, they work with volumes, space, and light, but not with the décor. Architecture and design are inseparable.
The quality of architecture can be determined by the self-reverence it evokes. This applies to aesthetics, functionality, comfort, harmony, and relevance, joy from staying, using, and contemplating.
In each project, architects raise a query about what a person would like to feel in the space. Is it a sensation of relaxation or focus? In the opinion of Babayants Architects, personal attention and care put into each element of the space is modern luxury.
As for Babayants Architects, minimalism is not only a style of work. It is a mindset category, attitude to life and a planet. Minimalism is a pursuance of simplicity. It is a refusal of the superfluous in favor of the most significant. Minimalism is for those who don’t have to prove anything; who cares about the internal balance and resource state that helps to live to the maximum. Minimalism is about awareness and honesty with oneself.
Implementing minimalism is difficult. Many complex technical solutions are hidden behind external simplicity.
Sadovie Kvartali. Planning and Space Features
The starting point of the Sadovie Kvartali project was the bright space itself with high ceilings and a gorgeous panoramic view. Architects had to reveal and emphasize these advantages as much as possible. It was important to create a multi-scenario and multi-functional space without breaking it up or overloading it. In the project, every centimeter is used despite the general visual lightness.
The panoramic view with the sky, the lake, and the changing seasons becomes the protagonist, the observed picture while the interior is a worthy frame.
The apartment occupies an entire floor and was initially characterized by complex geometry with sharp corners. The architects built the layout so that this acute-angled contour was not felt anywhere.
Hallway
The hallway is the first impression that cannot be made twice. At the entrance to the apartment, guests are greeted by a composition inspired by the East with two tables, as if it were a single element with a crack in the middle. This marble object is designed according to the drawings of Babayants Architects. Above the symmetrical tables, there are two Flos lamps. This composition sets the guests on the atmosphere, mood, and style of the space that opens further.
A corridor leads to the common and private areas from the hallway. This space is like a junction, a center around which movement takes place.
Living Room
A double-sided sofa facing the TV area and panoramic windows is in the center of a large and bright living room. The TV is neatly hidden in the bookshelves, the doors of which form an interesting composition in each position.
The marble island of complex shape was designed by Babayants Architects. It is absolutely functional; can be used as kitchen or bar. The island has a built-in wine cooler and cabinets.
The proportions of the living room are clearly calibrated, even in the details. The floor is laid out with a wide engineered wood up to 3 meters in length. This format sets a certain rhythm and a sense of space. The convectors in the floor have longitudinal gratings to match the engineering wood. All this forms the right image and perfect proportions.
Kitchen
A functional kitchen is hidden from prying eyes. It is located behind a wooden panel with leather inserts and lighting. The kitchen is as practical as possible: it is made for active use.
Breakfast Area
The breakfast area is located next to the kitchen, in a beautiful place with corner glazing and a view of the neighborhood with modern architecture.
Dining Area
The dining room is mostly used for receiving guests and having special events. Here is a big table designed by Babayants Architects, the same chairs as in the breakfast area, and a hanging cabinet with a showcase for serving items. The composition is complemented by geometric Apparatus pendant lamps.
Materials
A rich palette of natural materials was used in this project: wood, natural leather, brass, and stone. All cabinet furniture is made of ash veneer, tinted in a cold shade. It needed 9 months to reach the ideal shade of veneer. This was important for the compatibility of all shades and textures in the project.
In the interior, there are many products that combine several materials. For example, in the living room, there is wooden bookcase with brass shelves, a natural stone podium, and a drawer upholstered in leather. Two companies worked together on this item to achieve the desired effect.
While working with materials, it was important to focus on the contrast of textures and shades. It’s pleasant to tactilely feel the difference between warm leather, cold metal, textured wood, and stone.
Guest Bathroom
The guest bathroom is designed in dark colors, in contrast to the rest of the apartment. Such an approach surprises guests. The play with perception is continued by the wooden sink and the composition with the Agape sink and shelves, where the faucet is part of a metal shelf. These elements change the usual idea of the bathroom.
The floor is lined with natural smooth Salvatori stone, and the walls are embossed one. It adds tactility and sensory experience.
Kids’ Bathroom
The kids’ bathroom is completely white. Graphic porcelain tiles as if hatched with a pencil are on the walls. All sanitary is white and made of artificial stone and ceramics. This gives plasticity and sculpturesqueness, which architects wanted to convey in this space. The bathtub floats above the podium, which enhances the feeling of lightness, air, and spaciousness.
Master Zone
To get to the master zone, one needs to go through the walk-in closet. It is symmetrical: half is female, half is male. Part of the cabinets along the walls is made with blank facades in the color of the walls. In the center, there are showcases where the clients can store something aesthetic, for example, a collection of accessories.
Master Bedroom
The bedroom has two main characteristics. The first is the diagonal of the Davide Groppi lamp built into the wall. The pendant shines into the ceiling, providing a soft and diffused light. To set the right atmosphere for relaxation, the lamp can be dimmed. On the sides of the headboard, there are two luminous threads, the light of which is turned towards the panels. This gives a warm and soft light suitable for a bedroom.
The second detail is the multi-layer construction of the headboard made of three different materials: wood, brass, and leather. The composition looks concise and holistic due to the restrained colors.
Master Bathroom
The master bathroom is clean and spacious with natural light. The floor is finished with smooth Salvatori marble, and the shower tray and walls are finished with relief stone. The cabinet and sink are custom-made according to the drawings of Babayants Architects. The composition looks like a single whole. Brass elements are made in the light champagne finish. An illuminated mirror and a shower on the podium add a feeling of lightness and spaciousness.
Home Office
The working area in the home office is finished with nickel-shade metal. All items were custom-made. The office has a glass insert through which natural light enters the corridor.
Technical Solutions
In the minimalist project Sadovie Kvartali, there are a lot of author’s developments and complex solutions that are invisible to the eye.
In the living room, the architects designed a ceiling drop that sets a spectacular sharp line. Slotted air grilles are hidden in this light and sleek structure.
The apartment has high ceilings of 3.4 m. It demanded some complicated technical solutions. For instance, cabinet furniture and doors are made in full height, with a minimum gap. This is extremely difficult to implement.
Cabinet furniture is faced with slats using a special technology. These are not recesses carved into a single panel, but a type-setting structure. A complex and interesting rhythm is created thanks to the different thicknesses of the slats. It adds even more expressiveness to the space.
-Project description and images provided by Babayants Architects
