Brasserie Мост
Address: ul. Kuznetsky most, 6/3, Moscow, RussiaDesign work: December 2011 – November 2012
Construction work: April 2012 – November 2012
Principal architect: Galina Serebryakova
Architect: Mariya Gulida
Heads of Wowhaus: Dmitry Likin, Oleg Shapiro
Photographs: Sergey Leontiev for Wowhaus
The owners of the pompous restaurant The Most decided to transform it into a French brasserie, a lively café with a welcoming bar and conversations lasting until morning under lamplight.
To change the format of the establishment and thus attract a fresh clientele, but without losing old friends.
The new interior of the restaurant is a postmodernist exercise in creating a ‘brasserie’. We wanted to preserve the main generic characteristics and traditional decorative forms of a Parisian grand café; however, numerous markers, such as the elaborate play of light and mirrors and the colour range, make it clear to an enlightened gourmet that this is a very modern and, at the same time, somewhat ironic place with its own character and without bling.
During reconstruction all the walls were preserved, the arch entrances to the large room were straightened and reinforced, and a separate smoking room was built.
No trace of the gilding of the old The Most remains: all walls are now a neutral grey. Coral was chosen as the bright accent colour and used for the arches, sofas, and other pieces of furniture.
Both the large and small rooms have a special zone for guests visiting the bar. To ensure that guests at the bar and at the tables do not get in each other’s way, the large room is separated by a low partition from the zone with sofas. The bar counters themselves have not been replaced.
The new interior is full of Art Deco elements, including numerous mirrors, crystal glass with intricate patterns, and many details made from nickel-plated metal. We took great care in thinking through each element: most of the décor and interior objects were made to order.
The lighting played a key role in creating a style for the entire place. The shades for the new lamps were hand-carved by master glassmakers to designs created by the architects, while the nickel stands were ordered from a specialized factory. The large crystal-glass chandeliers in the large room are the only lighting that has survived from the old restaurant.
The abundance of mirrors in the new interior makes the space more intricate, enhancing the play of light. The columns are decorated with mirrors with glass prisms, while the arches house faceted mirrors. Due to the fact that this is an old building and every arch differs in size from the others, each set of mirrors had to be made separately.
The mirror panels in the entrance area of the small room are embedded in the walls at different angles. This gives additional volume to the premises. The zigzag line in the small room is echoed by a screen with ornamented glass panels; the screen separates this room from the kitchen; its reverse side simultaneously serves as a cupboard.
