Anthracite and Peach — A Moody Masterclass in Urban Living

An apartment that doesn’t ask for attention but quietly earns your respect.

In the bustling sprawl of modern city life, serenity often feels like a myth, something glimpsed from train windows or remembered in the quiet just before sleep. But step inside this 64-square-metre apartment, redesigned by the Alexander Tischler design company, and you realise calm can be carved from chaos, one deliberate design decision at a time.

Led by chief designer Karen Karapetian, this Moscow-based team has made a name for itself crafting interiors that feel as lived-in as they are luxurious. The project in question? A compact two-bedroom home tailored for a couple and their teenage son, built on a palette of anthracite and peach, shadow and softness, intention and restraint.

From the outset, the brief was clear: the family didn’t want opulence or flamboyance, they wanted an escape. A space that wrapped around them like a favourite coat. Somewhere to wind down, shut out the world, and still have room for the realities of everyday life, from laundry loads to late-night family films.

And so the layout was reimagined with precision. The original bones, free of load-bearing walls, allowed the team to move fluidly through the structure, reworking the flow of space without friction. The kitchen and living room now merge as one, wrapped in matching hues and handle-free cabinetry. At first glance, the kitchen nearly disappears, an architectural sleight of hand that elevates form and function in equal measure. No overhead exhausts clutter the ceiling; instead, a cooktop with a built-in ventilation system silently handles the job, filtering air with discretion.

A partial wall was removed between the kitchen-living space and the bedroom, creating a visual breath in the layout. The hallway, often neglected in modern apartments, becomes a natural continuation of the space, grounded with the same parquet flooring to maintain visual cohesion.

Storage is treated with similar subtlety. The hallway wardrobe blends into the wall, no fuss, no flash. Built-in lighting carefully illuminates the far wall, a trick echoed in the teen’s bedroom, where warm light bounces off deep-toned surfaces to create a sense of intimacy without ever veering into claustrophobia.

But perhaps the most impressive sleight of hand is found in the spatial detailing. A walk-in closet was carved into the parents' bedroom, symmetrical, thoughtfully designed for both. It acts as a passage to the en-suite, accessible yet discreet. It’s here that the apartment’s choreography reveals itself, a quiet rhythm of privacy, light, and space.

Windows, stretching floor to ceiling, demanded a clever heating solution. Vertical radiators, installed beside the panes and hidden behind curtains, keep the space cosy without disrupting the clean lines. It’s a decision rooted in both comfort and clarity — no noise, no hard-to-clean floor units, just seamless warmth.

Karapetian’s eye for craft is perhaps best shown in the custom-designed bed. With an asymmetrical headboard and a recessed base, it gives the illusion of floating, a design that feels at once grounded and ethereal, like something out of a dream you can’t quite place.

In the teen’s room, functionality meets character. A sofa-like bed welcomes sleepovers. A desk, bookshelf, and wardrobe fit effortlessly into the 12-square-metre layout. And in a clever twist, part of the room was given over to a dedicated laundry space, complete with wall cabinetry and a drying rail, making the often-forgotten act of washing clothes part of the architecture, not an afterthought.

A second bathroom sits just beyond, with a compact shower framed by a glass screen and a water-resistant textile curtain, practical, stylish, and utterly unpretentious.

This, in many ways, is the essence of Alexander Tischler’s approach. Every detail speaks. Nothing shouts.

Their work has not gone unnoticed. With awards from Japan's IDPA, the MUSE Design Awards, and the Architecture MasterPrize, among others, they’ve positioned themselves not just as designers of space, but curators of experience.

Yet in this project, recognition feels secondary. This apartment isn’t for Instagram. It’s not interested in trends or chasing Pinterest aesthetics. It’s a space that understands its inhabitants, moulds itself to their rituals, and becomes a quiet backdrop to life well lived.

In a world obsessed with bigger, louder, flashier, Anthracite and Peach reminds us that design’s real power lies in discretion.

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For more about Alexander Tischler:Website: atischler.ru/enInstagram: @atischlerYouTube: Karen Karapetian

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