Project name: Impressionist-style apartment in Sochi
Interior design: Irina Shevchenko
Style: eclecticism, modern style, interior impressionism
Location: Sochi, Russia
Photo: Alexander Plyaskin
Area: 48 sq. m
Year: 2024
Project description from design firms Irina Shevchenko
This project was created for my long-term clients, who acquired an apartment for short stays in Sochi. The residence is located in a remarkable complex comprising five monumental buildings of the former Kirov Sanatorium, originally constructed in 1936 within a vast tropical garden. The buildings have been carefully restored with great respect for historical architectural details and materials used in the public spaces. Marble, brass, pristine white fluting, and sculptural bas-reliefs on the facades – set against lush tropical greenery – form an atmosphere of dignified, resort-like luxury throughout the year.
In the interior, my goal was to highlight the grandeur of Stalinist Empire style architecture while introducing elements of the exterior landscape, allowing the apartment to feel like a natural continuation of the surrounding park. Since the developer had already completed the base renovation, the design process came with several constraints. The layout, openings, and niches could not be altered due to load-bearing walls. To avoid extensive construction work, the original bathroom finishes and flooring were preserved and softened with white carpets wherever possible. At the same time, the electrical system was replaced, and all wall and ceiling finishes installed by the developer were removed.
In this project, I worked primarily as a decorator, relying on visual techniques to rebalance proportions and carefully structuring the space through well-scaled furniture groupings.
To conceal storage, correct imperfect proportions, introduce perspective, and visually expand the space, I used wallpaper by Russian manufacturer Papierpeint. The design was created by artist and cultural historian Irina Dolgikh, whose background includes extensive experience in monumental art restoration. Although the landscape motif was originally developed in Spain, it feels entirely at home here. I paired it with deep green tones inspired by the surrounding tropical foliage – the very greenery that draws people here from wintery, gray Moscow.
A brass niche adds depth to the interior, evoking glimmers of sunlight filtering through the shadows of an imagined park. The ceiling chandelier is assembled from vintage Soviet-era lampshades. Ceramic lamps from the Georgian OTKHI factory serve as key decorative accents, while a goat-fur cushion adds tactile warmth, grounding the space in artisanal texture and subtly referencing Caucasian regional traditions.
At the heart of the interior stands a brass console table, custom-made from my own sketches. In classical design, this spot would traditionally be reserved for a fireplace – and I briefly considered that option. But this is Sochi, not Paris. Fireplaces have no historical relevance here. Instead, a wave-shaped gilded element takes its place, feeling both contextually appropriate and distinctly contemporary.
The final interior is eclectic and richly decorative, designed to spark emotion and imagination—a perfect retreat for escaping routine, stress, and the monotony of everyday life.
