Artest Fine Dining Restaurant in Moscow by Veter Design.

Veter Design have conceived a fine dining restaurant within a 251sqm two-storey mansion within a shaded terrace in Moscow, Russia. The clients, Arkadiy Novikov in partnership with chef Atrem Estafev, had a very unique vision for the restaurant that was far from the clichéd models of already existing venues. They asked for two interior worlds from the design team — Dark and Light.

The ground floor is depicted as the ‘Dark’ world, representing roots, soil and earth itself in its richness. The first floor serves as a portal into the ‘Light’ world — all glowing and airy. A stunning staircase layered with brass sheets bridges these transitional stages.

Veter looked to create a narrative around the two spaces with the rootedness of the ground floor developing into the light world. This manifested into a chef’s table for 10 people with ‘roots’ for table legs. On the first floor, a fireplace became the centrepiece as lightness dances with the space.

The restaurant is filled with Russian avant-garde idiosyncrasies. The ground floor, with its lumpy textured wall, is the quintessence of earth. The shutters, which bear resemblance to mushroom caps, trick us into thinking they grow out of the restaurant walls. The brass-patinated kitchen islands create the analogy with metals buried deep in the bowels of the Earth.

The bespoke chef’s table sprouting from the floor with its roots is made up of eight fragments of fallen tree stumps. The ideal wood brought from the North Caucasus was meticulously picked, polished and topped with a wild pear slab to complete the custom-made signature table.

The sculpture bench in the entrance lobby is a totem between the two worlds. Dark woody hues of the ground floor integrate with the light tactile shapes of the first floor. Rich matte walls are accompanied by a glossy mirror — a masterpiece by Christophe Gagnon — which amplifies the mysticism of the interior.

Looking to the oeuvre of Henry Moore and Isamu Noguchi, the centre of the space revolves around a malleable and lightweight sculpture — the starting point of the project.

All the furniture, except for the chairs, was custom made by Veter to deliver a soothing ambience, paired with black and white film photography by Alexander Guyvoron.

Working collaboratively with their clients, Veter Design has created a truly unique restaurant that celebrates Russian singularity with transparency, amicability and design responsiveness.

Related: Grechka Lab Bakery in Moscow by Veter Design.

[Images courtesy of Veter Design. Photography by Mikhail Loskutov and Ivan Erofeev.]