Pervaya Liniya Apartment on the Gulf of Finland by Tim Veresnovsky.

In the living room, the sofa, chest of drawers and coffee table are custom made. Vintage design pieces sourced from the design galleries as follows – Eugenio Gerli chair upholstered in Casamance fabric; Gianfranco Frattini floor lamp; Vittorio Dassi storage system; Willy Rizzo 1970s poplar rack-bar; Atelier Lyktan wall sconce; Skye lounge chair.

Designed by Moscow and St. Petersburg-based interior designer Tim Veresnovsky, this apartment on the Gulf of Finland (Pervaya Liniya) combines a 70s Americana aesthetic with earthy, honest materials. Despite deploying a restrained and simple design scheme, there are plenty of quiet moments of attitude that spark life into the interior. The result feels equally sophisticated and filled with personality.

The living room unfolds with a welcoming atmosphere, each piece in the room tied together by a similar tonal palette. Dusty terracotta shades sit beside rustic red and burnt orange hues, creating a space that is focused on layered textures. The gleaming body of a highly polished timber coffee table sits in contrast to the raw, imperfect surface of Moroccan clay tiles. The tension created by such a varied palette brings visual interest to the room, while making it feel homely and lived in.

Susto made kitchen, table, sofa and lamp. Vintage Cesare Lacca 1950s Italian serving trolley.

A special moment that cannot be missed is the tiled wall of arches. One arch completely cuts through the wall, revealing the thick, solid foundations of the home, while the other forms a much shallower bookshelf. This curved form continues as semi-circular domes poke their orange covered heads out of the adjacent wall.

Veresnovsky reflects on his decision to stick the tiles on backward, choosing to reveal their textured backs instead of their finished face – “turns out that all the tiles are now on the wrong side, and I am very happy with the result,” he says.

Related: Historical Apartment Renovation in Saint Petersburg by Tim Veresnovsky.

Custom made bed and bedside tables. Visual Comfort lamps designed by Aerin Lauder. Safari leopard carpet.

Hallway walls are covered in timber-framed cork panels.

Custom made bed and bedside tables. Edel Vanity carpet in red.

Original Gianfranco Frattini 1950s desk. Artwork by Eugenia Evinzon.

Travertine finish to walls, floor and sinks. Custom made mirrors. Taps from Hansgrohe.

The interior unfolds with a resort-like feel, sans kitsch artefacts or vases filled with fake sand. Instead, plush sofas, chairs and lampshades create a tranquil, confrontable scene. Versenovsky explains that he was inspired by the Soviet resort past and the aesthetics of American motels in the 70s, and therefore chose accent pieces that speak with a sense of fun. He outlines, “in one of the bedrooms, I laid a leopard carpet, adding piquancy to the rather restrained interior, and in the other, a neon cross placed above the bed as a reference to Motel signs and the cult TV series Young Pope”.

This apartment manages to walk the delicate line between simple and over the top, creating an inviting interior that shows its personality in subtle glimpses. The essence of the design is captured in Versenovsky’s assertion – “the apartment immediately hints that you need to enjoy the pine trees, breathe in the incredible air, listen to the sound of waves and slowly drink something of the same vintages of the objects around you.”

Hell yeah – we’ll drink to that!

[Images courtesy of Tim Veresnovsky. Photography by Mikhail Loskutov.]