Dvekati references 1960s Russia for interior of Moscow office

MDF tiles and blue carpet are some of the simple materials that architecture studio Dvekati has used to furnish this office in Moscow, which takes cues from the pared-back aesthetic of Soviet modernism.

Occupied by a PR agency called Rupor, the office measures just 45 square metres and is set inside a constructivist-style house that was built in 1927.

Working with a tight two-month timescale, local architecture studio Dvekati was asked by Rupor to create enough space for six to eight employees and a meeting area within the office's rectangular plan.

The studio divided the compact, open-plan space into three functional areas – a workspace, a conference zone, and a kitchen – by inserting a podium and a waist-high partition wall.

When it came to choosing fixtures and furnishings, the studio was particularly inspired by the modernist office interiors of 1960s Soviet research institutes, which placed emphasis on functionality and clarity of lines.

"By the 1960s, Soviet architecture and interiors got rid of unnecessary decoration and turned to the principles of modernism," the studio told Dezeen.

"[In Russia] we had our own mid-century modern, along with the worldwide flow of this style. It was manifested in thousands of research institutes, the main place of work for many Soviet people, scientists and engineers."

The raised podium and its built-in bench are therefore lined with carpet, while the partition wall and rectangular planter are finished with MDF panels that imitate tiles.

Rectangular steel frames top the partitions to form a visual barrier between the two spaces without blocking out light.

 from dezeen