Andrew Dellos, restaurateur
Aquarium in the interior
Animals in the interiorIn the atrium of the restaurant"Shinok" (on the second floor of a mansion in the center of Moscow) I recreated a classic Ukrainian courtyard. The idea to put animals there was born during the construction process. And to be honest, it horrified me. Problems poured in one after another. It turned out, for example, that you can't put a horse in a restaurant because it needs to move actively. If you don't "drive" it at least twice a day, it will simply destroy the entire house. But what kind of Ukrainian courtyard would it be without a filly! In order to take it outside, we had to make a special freight elevator (horses, even circus ones, can't walk up stairs). We also have goats, chickens, partridges, turkeys, roosters, sparrows, tits and a cow on our farm. The only thing missing is piglets. But no climate control system can cope with the poisonous smell of their feces.
Viscount Alexandre de Vandeuvres, owner of the castle of Vandeuvres
I inherited this estate in Normandy from mycousin of Queen Matilda, daughter of the Count of Flanders. Our castle is famous for its unique collection of miniature furniture and accessories for animals, which numbers more than 700 exhibits. Mostly these are luxurious beds for dogs and cats, upholstered in velvet and silk. Among them are exact copies of the owner's furniture. The halls contain the most unexpected items. For example, in the study there is a chandelier from the end of the 18th century, which is an aquarium for a goldfish. Many would consider this madness, but not us! Collecting for our family is more than a hobby. It is a passion. In no way inferior in strength to the love for animals.
Yana Syrkin, designer and owner of Fifi & Romeo dog stores
Many people sin by choosingthe most unattractive place in the house. They try to hide their pets somewhere in a corner, under a bed, on the balcony... Why such secrecy? After all, our smaller brothers are kept to liven up the atmosphere and attract attention! Why not make a "dog's life" beautiful? In my home, as well as in my stores, the most important place is reserved for animals. They have everything: chairs, bags, underwear, sweaters, dishes... I have been designing for dogs for several years now. And I will give you this advice: when buying clothes or furniture for animals, pay attention not only to the appearance, but also to the material. Animals are not people and will not stand on ceremony with designer objects: if the thing is fragile, they will tear it apart in an instant!
Sergey Choban, architect
To observe the life of marine life,not necessarily to dive into the water. This aquarium adorns the lobby of the Radisson Hotel in Berlin, located in the Domaquaree complex near the Cathedral. A giant glass cylinder holds a million liters of sea water, two and a half thousand fish and an elevator shaft, on which you can safely make dives and ascents.
Billy Lawrence, architect
This shelter for homeless animals is the firsta similar project in my practice. I don’t know how things are in Russia, but in America such structures most often resemble prisons - they are mostly cold, smelly “cells” with damp concrete floors and blinding fluorescent lighting. They are usually built on the outskirts of town or near city dumps. I am convinced that animals deserve a better life. Our shelter is located in the central area of one of the largest cities in Texas. The complex consists of five buildings with a large courtyard for walking “guests”. We decorated the dog and cat “apartments” in a homey way: we laid out the walls with warm-colored tiles, thought out the lighting, selected soft furniture and toys. What did such a “humane” approach give? The number of people taking homeless children is growing rapidly. So our efforts were not in vain.
Takashi Amano, designer
I paint pictures of living nature.My canvas is an aquarium filled with water. My paints are exotic seaweed, driftwood and fish. With their help, I recreate real landscapes that I have seen in different parts of the world: Mediterranean bays, Indian lagoons, alpine mountains, Japanese forests and even African jungles. The role of birds in my plots is most often played by fish, swarming between mossy rocks or hiding in thickets of reeds. I made an aquarium for myself, the landscape inside of which exactly repeats the view from my window. By the way, I was amazed by two winter landscapes in your Tretyakov Gallery - I will definitely create something similar. However, I don’t know how yet. At the moment, I have only managed to find a plant that looks like snow. It remains to find fish for the role of bullfinches.
Evgeny Nichipuruk, art director of the club «Zone»
Club "Zona" BB is the largest in 2014Moscow (it holds 4,000 people) and the most shocking. At the suggestion of the architect Yuri Reshetnikov, its first floor was turned into a prison. The only difference is that visitors come here not under escort, but with tickets. The first thing they see is a massive iron door, evoking associations with a checkpoint in a pre-trial detention center. Then - a wooden flooring surrounded by barbed wire and illuminated by blinding spotlights. A guard with a machine gun looms on a nearby tower. Inside, an even more terrible picture opens up to the gaze: coal-black walls, heavy bolts, "guards" with stone faces. And rats scurry underfoot. Their "place of detention" is a specially equipped niche in the floor, closed with shockproof glass. What is the point of all this scandalous entourage? Why not! The idea is not new. Clubs were also made directly in former prisons - take New York's Alcatraz, for example. But only we have rats.
Arkady Novikov, restaurateur
Fish restaurant "Sirena" - mythe very first project. Why a fish project? Because when we opened it (it was 1992), it was much easier to get good fish than good meat. The interior is stylized as an old ship from the times of colonial England, cutting through the ocean. The walls are covered with dark wood. Along the perimeter of the large hall, we placed 17 aquariums with 350 species of fish - from lionfish to piranha. After many other Moscow establishments got aquariums following Sirena, we wanted to come up with something else. Then, in 1996, the restaurant got a small hall with a transparent floor, under which water gurgled and sturgeons and carps glided busily. We were the first in Moscow to design a restaurant this way.
Andrey Ivanov, architect
Club "Vysotka" includes bowling,billiards and a restaurant. The spatial solution (volume) was developed by the architect Igor Tadzhiev, and I designed the interiors. They have a lot of interesting details: wall decoration imitating the texture of stone (the work of decorators from the Yalta Film Studio), unique metal structures, designer furniture. But visitors first of all pay attention to a pair of caimans (these are crocodiles). They live under the glass floor of the restaurant on the second floor (initially this 1.5 m deep "pit" was intended for household needs). You can admire the reptiles from two angles: from the side through the window, going up the stairs, or from above, from the restaurant. Making a terrarium is the idea of the club's founder. I supported his initiative - the predators fit perfectly into the tough high-tech concept of the interior.
Ambrogio Rossari, designer of Even
What does a typical bathroom look like?White plumbing, metal faucets, mountains of cosmetics. How boring! Let's break stereotypes! My Moody sink has a tank for an aquarium. In principle, you can build a Japanese rock garden into it or just lay out pebbles there, imitating a river bank. "Greens" don't have to worry - the flora and fauna are completely safe. My aquarium has well-thought-out lighting, aeration and water filtration. There are hatches on both sides of the sink (they are hidden under the soap dishes), through which it is easy to .
Oliver Beckert, designer at Elseware
I suggest letting nature into the most intimatearea of the house - to the toilet. My Aquasan - an aquarium that replaces the toilet cistern will allow you to do this. The first thing that comes to mind when you see it - "poor fish!" But don't rush to conclusions. I'm not so bloodthirsty that I would flush schools of fish down the drain without a twinge of conscience. In fact, the acrylic tank is divided into two sections: in the foreground - an eight-gallon aquarium, and behind it - the most ordinary toilet tank. Aquasan can be ordered on the website - www.elseware.com. The price is - $ 350. The design fits on any "pedestal" with standard eyeliner.
