The coach of the “Weighted People” project at STS moved from a large house, and then from an apartment in a new building to a cozy “stalinka”, because she realized that they and their daughter Ksenia did not need a lot of space to be happy.
2 מערץ 2017
– In the first two-room apartment, where I made repairs, there was a blue corridor, a yellow nursery, an orange kitchen, that is, complete chaos. But then it seemed to me that I, as a designer, worked for the top five. Then we moved out of town, built a big house in eco-ethnic style. From each trip, Volodya and I (Vladimir Turchinsky, an athlete and TV presenter, Irina’s husband, passed away in 2009. – Note “Antenna”) brought some piece of furniture – an elephant from Thailand, a giraffe from Argentina dragged in hand luggage. I remember how you come back, put another beast and think: “Oh, beauty!” And such a vinaigrette as a result! Ksyusha had a panel of toucans in the closet, it was laid out for six weeks. Our bathroom has a huge unfolding mosaic shell. And there was also an anteater made from a single piece of wood … When you do not have a huge space, you strive for it. But I soon began to understand that most of this lovingly made at home does not participate in my life, as I do in his. It was just a period of a family with a lot of friends, constant movement, and then the time of urban life came. Moscow is functional both for me and for my daughter, it is connected with study, with work.
– First, we moved to a new building, where the walls could be broken as you liked. We connected a corridor, a hall and a large room, and it literally turned out to be a football field. Later I realized: it was a completely incomprehensible and unnecessary step. I decided to make the apartment completely white. And do you know what you bought the first in it? Bath accessories. I saw a dispenser for liquid soap of an unreal lingonberry color in the store and grabbed the whole set. Showed in the evening to a friend-designer, she said: “Ira, I have not met a person who starts repairs with a toilet brush.” I lived in this white “hospital” for about a year and decided that my next space should be completely different – an apartment with roots.
The choice fell on the Stalinist house, built in the late 50s. Apartments here were given to employees of the Academy of Sciences. I looked through many options and asked the realtor: “What should happen for me to understand: this is my home?” She replied: “What happens when you fall in love? It pokes you. ” And when I entered this apartment, I fell in love, there is no other word for it. I saw a balcony, a floor-to-ceiling window, almost immediately a picture was drawn that there would be flowers here in summer, and gatherings with a blanket in winter.
Immediately I realized that I would put a fireplace in the living room, put parquet on the floor, because it was from that era, let there be wallpaper on the walls – and no baroque, fringe, beads and mosaics. As soon as the repairs were completed and the workers gave me the keys, I arrived here in the evening, sat down at the place where the sofa now stands, lit the fireplace and realized that I was a completely happy person. Do not need anything else. Fire, floor, wall and the feeling that you did everything the way you like it. Every centimeter is used, it is needed for something. A huge number of people who visit my home sincerely say: “Oh, how great, how cozy.” The apartment is small and at the same time gives a huge amount of positive emotions. I love her, I know everything from corner to corner. It seems to me that the people who lived here earlier did not know how to shout, there is not a single quarrel, not a single squabble within these walls.
– Speaking esoterically, this apartment was preceded by an interesting sign. Getting ready for a purchase deal, where the owner and I were to meet for the first time, I, like all girls before an important event, began to dress up. I decided to put on a black skirt, a red sweater and high boots. I come to a meeting, and the seller is a girl of my physique, also with short hair, only a blonde, in a red sweater, black skirt, black high boots. And these are all the same styles! Everyone looks at us and understands that we are like sisters. She then said: “How pleased I am to sell you an apartment.” And how nice it was for me!
By the way, I was the first to let the fish into my new home. Before ordering any finishing materials, I went to take a closer look at what was happening on the market. I go to a salon where chandeliers are sold, I see a figurine of a fish and I understand that it should live with me. I don’t know why, but she just shocked me. I say: “Sell.” They answer me: “This is not a product, but a piece of furniture.” It turned out that the fish belonged to the owner of the store. They called the owner, I said that later I would buy all the lamps from her. They sold the fish, but I didn’t buy anything else. But the most interesting thing started later. A year and a half later I am going to an event with my friend-designer. He introduces me to colleagues, including the designer Maria. I tell her about my apartment, tell her that I need lamps, we agree that I will send photos of the interiors. I took pictures, I am sending a frame with a fireplace, on which there is a fish. Maria calls back and says: “So you are the crazy girl who took the fish from my desktop!” Moreover, she loved her very much and gave her away, assuming that later a potential client would return to her. And I, it turns out, returned.