Personal in Public

In 2024, working with Punto Group, we developed an entire collection of micro-architecture—or macro-furniture—that could be arranged like punctuation marks throughout public spaces and private gardens.

At the Kamal Theatre in Kazan, contemporary architecture blends with traditional Tatar elements, the cool glass shell contrasting with the warm interior palette. Local identity emerges through details: the doors to the main hall, bar counter, and other decorative elements are crafted from wood and adorned with carved Tatar motifs. The architects developed these patterns in collaboration with local artists.

We do not separate design from function. At the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre, the design concept based on utmost flexibility of every space extends into the interior elements themselves. We designed sliding partitions in the foyer with connection points that dub as fixtures for lighting and set pieces. Depending on the artistic programme, the foyer transforms into a performance space, runway, or exhibition gallery.

Tailor-made interior elements are excellent tools for zoning spaces, emphasising prominent features, and choreographing visitor circulation. At Moscow’s Regent restaurant, a curvilinear mirrored screen divides the dining tables while instilling a sense of both intimacy and spaciousness. Along with the screen, we designed mirrors in various shapes that playfully distort both light and the room’s geometry in fun and unexpected ways.

Design can also shape behavioural patterns. Chairs or sofas can even be deliberately uncomfortable: for instance, at the Strelka Bar we designed the bench in the smoking area in a way that would stop people from lingering there too long. Its form draws from a fleeting memory of winter boulevards, where teenagers perch atop bench backs with their feet braced against the seat. The result is a bench at the bar entrance where the backrest is actually the seat.

A public art piece is a quick statement, which is a big advantage. In this medium, one can be provocative, paradoxical, ironic, making topical commentary and simply having fun. For the Vyksa Festival, our studio team devised the Paradox Raft. This surreal staircase structure was a three-dimensional homage to Maurits Cornelis Escher. The stairs shifted from horizontal plane to vertical, light and dark surfaces warped—the raft offered a succession of optical illusions that bewildered visitors and left lasting impressions. Such objects shape the identity of both events and places.