A 484-Square-Foot Moscow Studio Apartment Is Small But Full of Cozy, Moody Decor

Professional’s Name: Maria Solovieva-Sosnowik
Company: Bureau 17-117
Location of Project: Moscow, Russia
Size: 484 square feet

This small studio apartment (45 square meters, or 147 ish square feet) with stunning views is situated in the very center of Moscow. The floor plan includes a living area, bed area, dining table, and the kitchen separated from the rest of the space by glass divider. There is also closet storage and a bathroom. The core design decision was not to mount any walls in the main space to add some air and allow the views to be seen from every part of the apartment.

The living area is also filled with IKEA items. The daybed became a couch with its trendy metal details, and it may also be a guest bed if necessary. The Malm chest got a new color. And, of course, I thought of the latest trend to use rattan furniture in interiors when choosing the armchair. The bed is wooden and very simple, but the red velvet color from Designers Guild made it look more expensive and unusual. IKEA side tables were transformed to suitable nightstands by golden paint and stone tops. Final decorations included ZARA HOME and IKEA items and vintage Scandinavian glass as well as the beautiful bird painting by contemporary Russian artist Kate Neshkova.

I used the owner’s favorite colors for the interior decoration—muted sage green paint by Little Greene company and warm pink wallpaper from Sanderson. The wallpaper in the hall is also from Sanderson. It makes the for a moody and “tropical” first impression.

The place for kitchen and bathroom was determined by water supply zone, so I decided to separate the cooking area but leave the view for those who cook. The parallel scheme of the kitchen allowed us to avoid expensive corner elements and to enlarge the storage.

As the budget was not extensive, I decided to make the most of decoration materials because it is not easy to change them later. Plus, furniture and textiles are more changeable anyway. Here, IKEA was the name of the game. We painted Hemnes cabinets the same color that was used for walls and changed handles to ZARA HOME ones. The table base was also painted, as the bright chrome didn’t go with the muted atmosphere.

The bed was placed just behind the kitchen to hide it from the entrance. The living area has the best opportunities to enjoy the view. The dining table is in the opposite to the kitchen. There are also several cabinets for additional storage in the special niche.

Maria Solovieva-Sosnowik is the designer behind Bureau 17-117 and designed this studio apartment. The photos are by Olga Melekestseva.

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