Oscillating between a completely white concept and a black one, where everything was based on textures and semitones was the initial concept, soon discarded.
“One day, while I was with my friend, I shared that I couldn’t imagine how to design my own space. Then he asked me the most important question: ‘Where do you feel most comfortable?’ Without hesitation, I replied, ‘In contemporary art museums.’ That’s how the main idea for the interior was born. Then, during a trip to Turkey, in a gallery in Istanbul, I bought ceramic masks with metal bases, and they became the starting point for the design.” remembers Tregubov.
Immersive imagination
Sergey’s lifestyle involves total immersion in his profession; he lives for design, and as a result, has created a space where he himself is the centerpiece, and every guest who comes to this home seems to be part of an immersive exhibition.
The design code of this apartment is based on the aesthetics of Sergey’s favorite Italian group, Memphis. Graphics, color blocks, totems, and artworks: these are the main ingredients of this project.
At first, this apartment was a single room with the kitchen in one corner and a living room with access to the balcony and another window. Sergey was clear that, despite its small size, he needed to incorporate a separate bedroom, a kitchen with a seating area, and also find space for a home office.
Instead of the kitchen, he created a bedroom with closed closets and shelves. The kitchen is now located in the hallway, integrated with the living room, and designed a cozy bathroom with a shower cabin. The home office occupies a corner in the balcony.
A proper layout in small spaces, undoubtedly, accounts for 90% of the success. Sergey invested a lot of time in finding the right and comfortable arrangement. Then, through strong contrasts and vibrant colors, he visually expanded the living space. His friends still can’t believe it’s only 39 square meters; it looks like there’s at least 50 square meters here!
Touch of sophistication
The flooring features Coswick parquet with a design pattern called ‘English Herringbone.’ This pattern and rhythm have visually expanded the living space.
The walls are painted with Majestic paint. The color played a crucial role here, with its depth, density, and resistance to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
In the shower area in the bathroom, small-format APE APE Cups Snow 5×20 tiles are used, while the shower floor is covered with large-format Italon Charm Deluxe Sahara Noir ceramic.
The most challenging part was choosing the right shade of yellow porcelain stoneware for the kitchen area since the same tile had to be used on both the floor and the walls. “I needed an intense color, similar to the yellow of a ripe lemon or even a ripe mango,” says Sergey.
Above the low bar, which also serves as a dining table, hangs a designer lamp with a lampshade in the shape of a female chest, adding a playful feminine energy to the interior. To complement this lamp, behind the armchairs on the wall, there is a painting of a woman painted by my designer friend Olga Savchenko for my birthday, as a testament to the enduring spirit of feminine energy.
The control of all the lighting and electrical devices in the apartment is done through the voice assistant Alisa by Yandex. It was a crucial decision for the designer because, thanks to voice commands, he can perform multiple actions simultaneously. With a simple command ‘goodnight,’ all the lights in the apartment turn off, the curtains in the bedroom close the window, crickets sound from the speakers, and the air conditioning switches to silent mode to gently cool the room.
Pigments of personality
“Color is absolutely my element. I can’t live without it; it’s like air to me. In my apartment, each room has its own color that conveys a particular emotion,” expresses Tregubov.
The hallway is painted in purple and black. This color envelops you as you enter the apartment. The color of ripe blackberries and the graphics on the wall create an atmosphere of mystery, inviting you to move forward.
Next, the kitchen is yellow, a color block that serves as a bright sun. It’s a color that stimulates interest in communication, keeps you warm on cool nights, and fills you with positivity.
In the living room, there is a arch painted in vibrant, lively magenta. This backdrop is designed for an art piece called LOVE IN BLOOM by Marcantonio for Seletti, in the shape of a heart, symbolizing my personality as someone open and inspired, ready to embrace every person with color.
In the bedroom, the combination of blue and red creates a contrast between passion and tranquility, between the passionate and the serene. The chandelier symbolizes a source, while the paintings above the headboard represent the sunrise and the moon, and the “cave painting” on the walls narrates ever-new stories.
Decked up with drama
The most unusual item in the apartment is the Totem. Sergey made it himself using recycled paper and integrated the interior color into it. Almost all the furniture in this home is made according to his designs. Sergey is particularly proud of the wallpaper ornament with my own design, which is the unifying motif throughout the entire apartment.
The playful chairs in the dining area are specially designed to be large and graphic to facilitate communication during meals. The bedroom rug is also made according to his sketches. “I needed an intense blue stripe on a light cream background, and since I couldn’t find any factory-made options, I decided to create it myself,” he adds.
The sconce above the dining area was assembled using recycled materials, such as pipes, cables, and a base. At the core of the design was an almost destroyed Two-Arm One Curved Rotating Wall Sconce, but with the shades in good condition, which my friend found at a flea market.
“The living room lamp also has a story. In one of my client’s properties, there was a Moooi White Paper Chandelier, but their children “adjusted” it a bit and damaged the bottom part. In the end, they gave it to me, and I replaced the bottom, giving it a funnel-shaped finish and touching up the top. So now I have a unique lamp made from a Moooi lam,” he rejoices. The pendant light above the window in the relaxation area is the Vibia Wireflow Lineal Pendant. The lighting throughout the house is achieved using the Arlight track system.
The paintings above the bed were created by Sergey’s friend and artist, Nadezhda Heichetova. On the shelf, you’ll find the Matreksha artifact, inspired by the traditional Russian nesting doll “matryoshka,” created by the contemporary artist Dmitrii Lamonov.
“I brought the head sculpture from a trip to China, and I covered its face with papier-mache, creating an artwork that speaks to how often we try to be something we’re not. We wear masks and may even change the color of our skin from black to white with great desire, but this doesn’t bring us inner peace if there is no harmony within us,” remembers Tregubov.
Fact file:
Name of the project: 39 m2 apartment
Location: Moscow, Russia
Area: 39 sq m
Type: Residential interior design
Design firm: Iroom Design Studio
Lead designer: Sergey Tregubov
Photography:Â Sergey Ananiev
Styling: Milena Morozova
