Read the article in AD Russia (ed. Olga Sorokina)

Prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater Diana Vishneva showed us her St. Petersburg apartment, updated by Vadim Maltsev and his team

Vadim Maltsev has been love the ballet since childhood: he regularly watched performances by Diana Vishneva and Ulyana Lopatkina. “But I could not imagine that I would ever make an interior for a star of modern Russian ballet, » says the founder of the bureau Vadim Maltsev Design & Decor. Once, after the annual Context festival of contemporary choreography, which Diana Vishneva has been holding in Moscow and St. Petersburg since 2013, Vadim wrote an enthusiastic review, adding at the end that he is a designer.

“In my life, many meetings are symbolic and not accidental. The same thing happened this time,» — the ballerina begins. — There was no self-promotion or advertising in it. The original message was different: words of admiration from what he saw. In the end, Vadim, as if in gratitude, wrote that if I ever need his services, I can apply. It was at this time that I was looking for someone to help me reorganize the space in my new apartment”

Saint Petersburg, 2019.
Editor Olga Sorokina

After the birth of their son, Diana and her husband bought more spacious housing in a historic house in the center of St. Petersburg. The apartment was well renovated, but did not suit the owners functionally and seemed to them not very cozy. «Diana wanted to see the space more airy, light and comfortable, with lots of storage space and a large dressing room — the great ballerina has many dresses and outfits”» says Maltsev. He was also asked to include in the new interior all the valuable items, decor and furniture collected by the couple over the years.

But the difficulty was not in this, but in the timing: only two months were given for approval and implementation of the project. This is disastrously small when it comes not just to decorating the interior, but to full-fledged redevelopment with repair and restoration. It turned out that the fireplace and plaster moldings on the ceiling are protected cultural and historical value.

Vadim and his team managed to do everything as quickly as possible, and this did not affect either the quality or the result: it took twenty days to create the project and approve it, and thirty — seven days to implement it. In a little more than a month, the office and wardrobe changed places, cabinets and storerooms appeared at the main and back entrance to the apartment, and the common area — the kitchen, dining room and living room — was reorganized. In this part of the interior, the ceilings were specially aged to combine them with historical elements, and the window slopes were painted using the same technology as the frescoes for authenticity.

During the repair process, the suspended ceiling in the dressing room and hall was removed and found there caissons and stucco, which were restored and left in plain view. In order not to visually divide the space, a glass transom was designed above the bookcase, which in addition lets daylight into the hall.

Lasvit lamps from the Neverending Glory collection were remarkable: the prototypes for them were chandeliers from five world concert halls, in three of them — La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera and the Bolshoi theater-Diana danced. Not without furniture designed specifically for her. ” We were so inspired that we made items inspired by her work, » explains Vadim. These include a library, a display case for dishes, and a dining table in the center of which is encrusted with a silver figure of a ballerina with her emblem.

“I was struck by how the designer managed to remove all the protruding corners in the apartment. With a kid who is actively exploring the world, running around and trying to climb everywhere, this is very important. The interior is dominated by rounded shapes, which I generally like very much in style. Security is combined with beauty,» says Diana. — The result is a house with a lot of air and light. Each of us has its own space, but there is also a place for guests. Usually I rarely let anyone into my house, but this apartment is different. It is more open to friends. And Vadim Maltsev is now a regular guest of my festival, I am happy to invite him. I see how modern dance gives him inspiration and creative powers”

Saint Petersburg, 2019. Editor Olga Sorokina

Interior design, decor and style: Vadim Maltsev Interiors
Photo of interior: Stephan Julliard
Photo group dining: Dmitry Tsyrenshikov
Photo Of Diana: Danil Yaroshchuk
Diana’s style: Cake Monster, Polina Elanskaya
special thanks to: Babochka showroom, L. E. Store, Leitmotiv salon