The cultural and art center “Prostor” is a creative space in Moscow where children and adults can study arts and crafts. The interior, designed by architect Angelina Borodkina, is conceived as an inspiring environment in which every detail becomes a work of art.
Project Name: Colorful 284 m² cultural and art center Prostor in Moscow
Studio Name: Angelina Borodkina
Photo credit: Varvara Toplennikova
The interior concept echoes the overall philosophy of the project — to learn to contemplate, listen, and look closely at beauty. The founders wanted visitors to be surrounded by pleasant colors and handcrafted objects with history, and for the space to reflect the blue of Giotto, the mosaics of Ravenna cathedrals, references to the 1970s in the spirit of Prada, the atmosphere of artists’ studios, as well as the aesthetics of Soviet children’s books and, of course, nature.
The center hosts courses in woodworking, mosaic, ceramics, interior sculpture, and painting, so it was important to carefully think through all functional details during the design process. Now the dynamic space can be transformed depending on the format of the classes.
“It was important to convey the feeling of a real artist’s and craftsman’s workshop, while also creating thoughtful lighting, storage, and display systems, as well as making the space convenient to maintain,” notes architect Angelina Borodkina.
Layout
The total area of the space is 284 m². “At first, the small width and height of the entrance — compressed on all sides by load-bearing structures and impossible to reconstruct — seemed like an architectural flaw in an otherwise perfect rectangular space. But complex tasks always lead to the most interesting solutions,” says the author of the project.
Angelina increased the depth of the entrance area and divided the interior into several comfortable terraces, making the transition inside gradual and smooth.
The ceremonial character of the entrance portal (242 m²) is emphasized by a vivid colored mosaic by Quintessenza Ceramiche from Fiorano, Italy. The installation work was carried out daily over the course of four months.
Finishing and furniture
The finishing features natural tactile materials, with an emphasis on solid wood.
The project includes many Russian brands. The sofa and storage system for the main common area (the living room) were selected from collections by the Kazan brand Yaratam, and shelving in the ceramics workshop was supplied by Delo Design. A number of furniture pieces and accessories are by GK Concept. Other carpentry elements were custom-made according to the architect’s sketches.
In addition, the interior features original objects from the founders’ personal collections: rare books, graphics by Malyavin, Lie-Nielsen hand planes, and even an antique chest.
Lighting
For the lighting concept, the architect collaborated with the Kazan studio Idea Concept, which developed a series of atmospheric lighting scenarios and even designed custom filter-lamps — one of which forms part of the exterior sign.
“After the striking entrance portal, I decided to emphasize the corridors with rhythmic light. For this, we chose the perfect Dioscuri sphere lamps by Michele De Lucchi for Artemide,” says Angelina. In the evenings, the intimate atmosphere of the art workshop is enhanced by Flos wall lamps.
In the kitchen-living area, the eye is drawn to Ingo Maurer’s Zettel’z light, made of semi-transparent Japanese paper, stainless steel, and heat-resistant satin glass. It includes forty sheets with declarations of love printed in different languages and forty blank sheets for messages and sketches from Prostor guests.
Landscape
The conceptual approach extends even to the small landscaped area in front of the entrance. The landscaping was developed by Viktoria Bazoeva and her bureau “Botanical Conspiracy.” The planters near the center feature two varieties of geum, ornamental allium, strawberry, mint, catnip, sage and sanguisorba, as well as dahlias. The landscape designer was inspired by the tradition of historic Moscow front gardens and exemplary courtyard plantings.
“I wanted to create a space that would be filled with vitality, bring inspiration, and give motivation — and I believe we succeeded,” concludes architect Angelina Borodkina.
