A Moscow Apartment Where Colour and Classicism Meet

In Moscow’s west, within a contemporary residential complex near the Setun River, this apartment tells a story of elegance shaped by personality. Designed for a mother and daughter, the home balances emotional expressiveness with everyday practicality — a space filled with light, colour and architectural character. Arches, soft curves and refined proportions create a gentle “fairytale” mood, while bold accents inspired by a Moroccan journey bring energy and individuality.

1. What can you tell me about the owners of this home?

The apartment was designed for two women — a mother and her daughter. Elena, the mother, works in the banking sector. The design reflects their lifestyle: elegant, emotionally expressive, and tailored to everyday functionality. The home was conceived as a refined and personal space with a strong identity — filled with light, colour, and non-standard solutions that reflect their taste and rhythm of life.

2. Can you share more about the history of the home, and its location/surroundings?

The apartment is located in a newly built residential complex in Moscow, situated in the western part of the Russian capital. This area is known for its combination of developed infrastructure and access to green spaces, offering a quieter, more residential feel while remaining well-connected to the city centre. Nestled near the banks of the Setun River and surrounded by green spaces, the development provides a welcome contrast to the city’s fast pace.

3. How many bedrooms/bathrooms does the apartment have?

The apartment includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms – one designed for the mother, the other for the daughter. The daughter’s bedroom, though compact, is carefully composed to include everything needed for a modern, multifunctional space. The brief required a full-size bed with a 140cm mattress, a desk, wardrobe, vanity, TV zone, and even a small reading nook by the window. Fortunately, the windowsill height turned out to be ideal for creating a soft built-in daybed, while Roman blinds helped maximise both usable space and natural light. To visually lighten the room, two walls were covered in wallpaper with a delicate tree motif — adding depth and dimension without overwhelming the space with colour. The graphic rhythm continues in subtle black accents seen in the ceiling trim and light fixtures, lending the room an elegant, cohesive character that feels both refined and balanced.

In the mother’s bedroom, the key architectural challenge was a load- bearing wall directly behind the bed — a surface that couldn’t be removed or altered. To integrate outlets, switches, and lighting, the wall was carefully framed in plasterboard, creating a niche into which the bed was recessed. The result: an arched feature that began as a technical necessity but evolved into a defining element of the room’s identity. 

To enhance the niche, we chose graphic wallpaper that resembles hand- drawn pencil sketches. It introduces a sense of quiet sophistication and a slightly intellectual tone, without weighing down the room. The fine black lines in the wallpaper echo other details — ceiling mouldings, the chandelier, and curtain hardware — creating a restrained yet expressive space. The result is a modern take on classic style: elegant, architectural, and far removed from typical “feminine” or “decorative” clichés.

4. What condition was the home in when you first saw it, and what changes did you make?

The apartment was part of a newly built residential development and was delivered as a bare shell — a concrete box with no interior walls, finishes, or utilities in place. This offered complete freedom to shape both the layout and design language from the ground up. One of the client’s key requests was to create a spacious, bright, and elegant living area, visually connected to the kitchen but free from visual clutter. To meet this, the kitchen’s functional elements were concealed behind large sliding doors designed to look like built-in cabinetry. When closed, they give the impression of a seamless storage wall, leaving only the island visible. The island itself was designed as a sculptural standalone object that reads more like a piece of furniture than a traditional kitchen counter, helping it blend effortlessly into the living space.

Because of the central location of the plumbing riser and the need to include two full bathrooms, a relatively long hallway was an unavoidable part of the plan. To transform this transitional space into something more dynamic and expressive, large arched doors with transoms were introduced. These architectural elements not only brighten the corridor with borrowed light but also became defining decorative accents throughout the home.

5. What was the clients’ brief?

Shortly before the project began, the client returned from a trip to Morocco and simply said: “I want colour!” There were no strict stylistic guidelines, but a clear desire to fill the space with emotion, life, and bold accents. Rather than replicate Moroccan ethnic motifs, the goal was to create a modern, expressive, and highly individual space inspired by the richness and vibrancy of Moroccan interiors. She sent a reference image featuring deep blue, saturated red, and warm yellow — these three colours became the foundation of the palette. The overarching aim was to blend classical elegance with a light, airy atmosphere and unexpected design moves.

Another central request was for high doors with transoms to preserve a sense of volume and architectural unity. This led to the introduction of the large arched portals, radius-shaped doors, and curved mirrors that define the project’s signature mood.

6. Describe any challenges you faced and how you tackled them.

The most complex and defining architectural challenge was designing the arched doorways and interior doors — an element that ultimately shaped the visual language of the entire home. The process involved testing different proportions of large French-style arched doors with perimeter glazing to maintain openness while visually separating zones.

Another key challenge was working with the structural wall behind the master bed. It couldn’t be demolished or modified, so a drywall niche was built around it to integrate sockets, switches, and sconces. The bed was recessed into this niche, framed by a soft arch — turning a technical constraint into a feature. Crafting the curved millwork — including the doors, portals, and fine detailing — required precision and care, but these elements are what give the interior its atmosphere: classic yet unburdened, elegant yet current.

7. What was your inspiration behind the interiors?

The concept was built around the idea of “light classicism” — graceful symmetry, soft forms, and refined proportions without excessive ornamentation. The arches, initially a solution for maintaining architectural rhythm, became a central decorative motif. They appear in doorways, portals, mirrors, and even furniture details. These shapes lend the interior a fairytale quality: elegant, slightly whimsical, and timeless. 

The aesthetic references classic architecture, but reinterpreted in a lighter, more modern way. From the shape of the shelving units to the geometry of the curtains, the fireplace, and the silhouette of the sofa — the entire space is built around this curved language. The fireplace, for instance, is a restrained, contemporary version without traditional moulding, aligning with the apartment’s overarching style.

8. What influenced your choice of materials, textures, and finishes?

The client insisted on using only natural materials — a principle that informed every design decision. All fabrics are natural: the sofa is upholstered in a matte linen-effect textile (no velvet, except for the bed’s headboard), the curtains are made from linen, and the carpets are silk or wool with a refined sheen. Walls and ceilings are painted — no wallpaper — to ensure breathability and a sense of purity. Even the ventilation grilles were carefully integrated into the ceiling architecture. Floors are natural wood throughout, with no laminate or synthetic finishes — ensuring both longevity and understated luxury.

9. Tell me more about the Colour Palatte.

The base colour is a very light, warm beige with a subtle pink undertone — selected after extensive testing to avoid greyish or overly fleshy tones. This calm, neutral foundation is enriched with accents of saturated red, deep blue, and warm yellow — all drawn directly from the client’s Moroccan- inspired reference image. The result is a palette that merges classic softness with emotional depth.

10. There is a recurring motif of geometry throughout the apartment. What inspired this?

Pattern is used thoughtfully to define zones and introduce texture without overwhelming the space. In the daughter’s bedroom, wallpaper with a light tree print was applied to two walls to visually expand the space and maintain a calm, airy feel. The pattern is echoed in fine black lines on the ceiling, chandelier, and curtain rods — bringing cohesion and graphic sharpness.

In the master bedroom, a structural wall behind the bed inspired the creation of a recessed arched niche, lined with graphic, pencil- drawn-style wallpaper. The linear black detailing of the wallpaper ties in with other elements in the room — lighting, curtains, and ceiling moulding — creating a sophisticated and cohesive look that departs from typical “feminine” or “childlike” design. Instead, it reads as modern classicism with an intellectual, restrained tone.

11. How does the finished project reflect your design philosophy?

This project embodies a design approach grounded in clarity, function, and emotional resonance. It’s about creating spaces that feel thoughtful rather than decorative — where every solution emerges naturally from the context, rather than being imposed for effect. Here, technical constraints — like the load-bearing wall in the bedroom or the long hallway — became opportunities to introduce architectural rhythm and character.

The palette is calm and textural, favoring tactile materials and graphic accents over bold color. The result is a home that feels composed and personal, yet quietly expressive — a place to live, think, and breathe.

12. What do the owners love most about their home?

The owners often describe the apartment as both calm and uplifting — a space that supports daily life without overwhelming it. They especially appreciate how the design balances openness and intimacy: the living area feels spacious and full of light, while the private rooms remain quiet and enveloping. Small, thoughtful details — like the daybed by the window in the daughter’s room or the gentle curves of the arched doors — bring comfort and a sense of continuity. Most of all, they love that the apartment feels like it was truly made for them — tailored not only to their needs, but also to their pace, routines, and outlook on life.

For its owners, the apartment is both calm and energising — a place that supports daily life while reflecting who they are. It is a reminder that true elegance lies in balance: between openness and intimacy, classicism and modernity, function and feeling

Credits

Text by Victoria Kolesnikova

Designer: Victoria Kolesnikova (@kolesdesign)

Photographer: Michael Brave (@michael_photography.berlin)

Stylist: Daria Sukhareva (@_dontgetmewrong_)