Art Group Thinks Globally for a Moscow Apartment

A Russian couple wanted to turn their 3,200-square-foot Moscow town house into a gathering place for children and grandchildren. One catch? Each generation needed their space. Another? While the couple wanted the space to be family-friendly, they weren’t interested in a conservative aesthetic.

“We offered something calm,” says Art Group’s founder Vasilkova Daria, “and they told us: ‘Guys, you shouldn’t think about our age and social status, just create! Do something as brutal and bright as you can!’”

Daria took up the dare and ran with it across the globe, gathering paintings from Indonesian and French flea markets and local artists, Italian tiles, fabrics from Africa, and Uzbekistani ikats. Then she carried an antique wardrobe on her back all the way from Lille.

All the while, back in Russia, Art Group’s workshop was busy fabricating cabinetry in gloriously asymmetrical shapes, and integrating strips of LED on walls throughout the house. Brutal? Not necessarily, but the project is full of bright ideas.