The designer once lived in this apartment with her mother, and years later she moved here again with her husband and three children.
Olga explained why the renovation had to be done in a week, why all the walls had to be repainted, and what hanging idea turned out to be the most successful for a home collection of paintings.
HALLWAY and CORRIDOR
The main thing that distinguishes the new interior from the previous one is the light, almost white shade of the main decoration: according to the owner, she was tired of dark gray walls and wanted to fill the apartment with light. At the same time, the repairs had to be done in a week: while her husband and children went to Spain for the New Year holidays, Olga remained in Moscow and invited her team of builders. The floor and doors were carefully covered with film and sealed to prevent damage, and the walls were repainted.
BEFORE
In the photo: this is what the corridor looked like before the renovation. The plaster was eventually removed from the walls and the surfaces were painted in one of the two main colors of the interior. The stacked oak parquet from the 1990s was retained on the floor. Another fundamental change was the material and shape of the stucco molding under the ceiling: polyurethane was replaced with gypsum. Now these are high skirting boards of a classic concave shape, which visually raise the ceiling (in fact, its height is only 2.7 m).
Arched openings and high doors with glazing have been preserved from the previous interior. They made a “forehead” above the built-in closet in the hallway and moved the stucco molding forward so that dust would not collect at the top. The mid-19th century rice paper samurai that now adorns the hallway wall used to hang in the master bedroom.
LIVING ROOM
Having repainted the walls, the hostess completely changed the mood of the interior: “I wanted cleanliness and light,” explains Olga. – By the way, I always do coloring for clients, but for myself I did without it. I just used my favorite shade of proven paint.”
Another change is the gallery system for hanging pictures: “I really like buying works of art, but I don’t like holes in the walls. Now profiles run along the perimeter, almost invisible under the cornice, and transparent pendants descend vertically from them. The paintings can be hung every day,” adds the designer.
BEFORE
In the photo: this is what the living room looked like before the renovation. The piano, sofa and striking clock were retained from the previous interior, but the lamps, decor and hanging of paintings were changed.
SON’S CHILDREN’S CARE
Previously there was only one nursery. As the youngest son grew older, he needed a separate room. We gave her an office adjacent to the living room,” says Olga Komarova.
Before
In the photo: this is what the office looked like in its original form. During the renovation, here, as in the entire apartment, the walls were repainted, and the square ceiling rosettes were also removed.
Because of the new tall molding, there was no room left on the wall for a curtain rod. Then Olga decided to hang it on the ceiling. “The cornice with knobs is very heavy. In our case, this was not critical, since the ceiling was simply plastered, but if you have plasterboard ceilings, you may need embedding.”
The desk is a 19th century Italian antique with a leather upholstered top. Olga complemented it with a vintage Cesca chair: designer Marcel Breuer invented it in the late 1920s and named it after his stepdaughter.
KITCHEN
The kitchen has undergone minimal changes: the walls were repainted and the chairs near the dining table were replaced.
In the photo: this is what the kitchen looked like in its original version – with gray walls. The chandelier was preserved: it is vintage and belonged to the owner’s grandmother. Today, on the hood ledge there is a copper frying pan, which the owner bought in Italy.
BEDROOM
During the renovation of the bedroom, not only the color of the walls was changed, but also the bed: Olga preferred soft upholstery to a wooden headboard. The curtains were also replaced with light natural fabric. The chandelier is a vintage Italian model with fabric shades.
BEFORE
In the photo: this is what the bedroom looked like before the last renovation. The owner abandoned the idea of bright red accents in favor of a more restrained palette – beige and mustard shades.
