Mila Gench's colourful 400-square-foot apartment for a tech professional in Moscow

Interior designer Mila Gench, of Gench Design, describes this 400-square-foot Moscow flat as calm at first glance and full of surprises the longer you stay. That suits its owner, a reserved young man in tech who spends his free time 3D-printing objects and making small wooden lamps. He wanted a home that interested him and reflected his personality, not just something contemporary and functional.

Gench merged the cramped separate kitchen with the living room, tucked the bedroom behind a short wall, enlarged the bathroom and fitted a proper workspace with room for several monitors, all while leaving space to exercise. Colour does the zoning instead of walls: royal blue in the entry and hallway, berry red in the kitchen, a lighter living room anchored by a mustard sofa she designed herself, and a dark bedroom she calls slightly fairy-tale.

She thinks of the place as a little jewellery box, with a checkered arch, frescoes, relief plaster and brass details. The owner insisted on perforated metal cabinet doors that were tricky and costly to fit, and they now read almost as architecture. Most furnishings come from contemporary Russian makers.

A private home, so nothing to visit, but a useful study for anyone trying to make a small flat feel generous without pretending it's bigger.

Our summary of a story from Architectural Digest, published 22 October 2026. Read the original

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