Architects and interior designers are trying to give Moscow offices and residences a fresh look, but conservative clients often stymie inspiration.

Hiring a professional architect or designer to refurbish your apartment, country house or office is no longer just a dream in Russia. In Moscow alone there are at least several dozen firms and reputable practicing architects that specialize in designing both office and residential interiors.

Until 1998, demand for architectural and interior design services originated about equally from businesses and private apartment owners. Things changed dramatically, however, after the events of August 1998 — which ruined hundreds of businesses, both local and foreign, and forced even more to cut expenses and freeze many construction projects.

"A new tendency to invest money in decorating residential space while dumping office decoration appeared after the crisis," said Vera Butko, chief architect of the Moscow-based Atrium architectural workshop.

In the past five years, Butko together with her partner Anton Nadtochy have refurbished a total of 50 apartments, offices and stores, including two cosmetics shops at the GUM shopping mall on Red Square. Butko added that several of the big projects her studio was working on last summer were suspended or just abandoned by clients because of economic troubles.

But clients have grown not only more thrifty, but also more knowledgeable.

"The market has changed substantially in recent years. Clients have generally become more educated in terms of assessing the quality of interior design," said Garold Mosolov of Nef.A architectural studio, which has been operating in Moscow since 1993.

Over the past six years Mosolov, together with his partner architect Dmitry Ovcharov, have designed and decorated several dozen offices, apartments and country houses in the capital and the Moscow region, as well as the premises of several banks.
This summer Nef.A architects completed one of their most successful projects of recent years — outfitting a 1,500-square-meter country house three kilometers outside the Moscow Ring Road.

Freedom of choice

Both Mosolov and Butko agreed that every architect's dream is to be "the first person to enter the construction site and the last to leave the completely decorated house."

But a designer's ability to reach for the stars is often restricted, in most cases by the clients themselves, who try to participate in the process of refurbishing their homes as much as they can — fearing that the architect might create something too avant-garde if given too much freedom.

Some clients order innovative interiors or luxurious classical interiors, because they need to show off their wealth to visitors, and rich interiors are an extension of their image.

Others, however, opt for the innovative "for the sake of art." Butko and Nadtochy have recently refurbished an apartment on the Arbat which looks decidedly unusual, they say. There are geometric shapes, steel constructions and contrasting colors. According to the designers, the client has another apartment with more traditional interiors, and ordered this funky one just to experiment.

"Hi-tech" style, characterized by strictly minimalist design and use of expensive electronics, is popular among younger clients.

However, not too many looking to change the look of their abode take the plunge into the land of unusual, which often makes the process of redesigning a house painful for both sides, as many clients are more conservative in reality than they think they are.

More clients still opt for classic designs with elements of historical styles, and few "have the courage" to agree to experiment with their residences, Mosolov said.

"It's more fun to work with a customer who shares the architect's vision and who is not afraid that his house will look too innovative," added Mosolov, who is currently designing a bowling complex in the Moscow region.

"But the [client's] desire to have a classic design generally dominates the desire to create something modern and non-traditional. Unfortunately, we often encounter stereotypes," he said.

"The present period is characterized by the absence of one direction in interior design," Mosolov said.

Designers said they consider interior design innovative when it's created with the help of new technologies and new materials. When asked for examples of good design, they named the Chyornaya Koshka restaurant on Vorontsovaya Ulitsa near Taganskaya metro, and parts of the Moskva City business district including its pedestrian bridge shopping mall and one of the office buildings in the development. But innovation does not always pay off. Mosolov cited the Manezh shopping mall as an example of bad design.

"The idea of going underground in order not to spoil the architectural ensemble of the square is good. But the result came out not very successful," Mosolov said.

Another problem facing designers is wary or miserly clients who choose an architect for reasons other than merit. Some clients call different architects in an effort to get better deals and hire designers who offer cheaper rates.

Designers' services range from $40 to $60 per square meter, Butko said. The price includes creating the draft, picking out the necessary decoration materials and furniture, as well as hiring builders and supervising the process from beginning to end.

Design, after all, is something worth investing in, say those who work in the field. Interior design is not as fleeting as fashion for clothes. High-quality, expensive design may last and serve a very long time, and will not look old-fashioned in just a few years. One day it will start looking "retro," but not silly, Mosolov said.

"As a rule, clients who order expensive interiors do not plan to update or redesign them soon," he said.

None of the designers could say, though, how long their interiors are meant to last.

A reconstruction of an apartment usually takes three to six months, while outfitting a house can take as long as 18 months. Office and store decoration usually takes much less time.