Babayants Architects is a design studio based in Moscow that aims to improve the form of modern life. Strive to create a modern living environment that meets all the modern trends in the field of architecture and design, with a personalized focus on customer comfort, rationality, quality and desire. Founder Babayants Architects graduated from belgorod university of technology, specializing in architecture. After graduation, he worked in an architectural design company in Moscow. Until 2014, he started his eponymous studio.

Yinji：As a representative of Moscow's minimalist design, what is your design philosophy?
Artem Babayants：The desire to find a place of harmony and peace in chaotic life is the driving force behind our every project. We are striving to rethink the space in terms of meaningfulness and perfection of each of its elements. You won’t find excessive decorations, departure from meaning or trading form for function here. Light is what we start working with in the first place. It is what defines basic forms of space, reveals textures and creates the atmosphere. Other important elements are laconic volumes, natural materials, clear geometric contours of objects, freedom and flexibility of composition.We call this style «cozy minimalism». Although very simple, it’s built on subtle aspects.This minimalistic style is demanding and requires perfect sense of proportions.In return, it provides freedom, integrity and sense of comfort and tranquility to the space. Cozy minimalism is a style that carries the purity and clarity of minimalism, but is softened by warmer tones, textures and materials, in order to be comfortable in ordinary everyday life. You do not need to go to a feat every day for the sake of beauty in your home. Minimalism in its purest form is a little more ascetic than a modern connoisseur of aesthetics would like. We and our customers prefer a softer version of minimalism, without changing its philosophy and basic meanings.

Yinji：You graduated from Belgorod University of Technology, specializing in architecture, but now you are not only an excellent architect, but also an excellent interior designer. How did you complete the leapfrog transformation?
Artem Babayants：I perceive the appearance of architecture and its internal space as a single whole. The fact that I started designing interiors was very natural and harmonious.I admire when an architect creates not only a building, but also its interior, furniture and everything, down to the smallest details. Such as dishes and door handles. When everything is created by one author and imbued with a single idea-it's amazing!Another distinctive feature of our office is that we, as architects, apply an architectural approach to interiors. We don't work as artists and decorators. We build a composition of volumes and voids between them. It sets us apart from others.

Yinji：At the beginning of Artem Babayants, how did you complete the brand accumulation? Where did you get your first customers?
Artem Babayants：You won't believe it, I found my very first customer in a bar!) I just told my friends that I was an architect and it turned out that they knew the owner of the hotel and he needed a project. I was still at university then. After university, I actively participated in competitions, then worked for 2 years in the studio of modern architecture and design. After I left the studio, I started doing projects on my own. Customers appeared after participating and winning local competitions. I have always created projects only in a modern style. I did not offer customers different styles, but only did what I really liked. Over the years, the style has honed and become more minimalist.

Yinji：What is your current team size? Main business direction?
Artem Babayants：Now there are eight people in our team: 3 visual designers, 2 architects, 1 Setter, 1 project manager and I, the chief architect. We are now focused on private architecture and residential interiors in a minimalist style. But we are also ready to try to design a public interior and architecture.

Yinji：Have you had any contact with Chinese owners before? What do you think of Chinese design? Are there any designers you follow in China? When you are working on projects in other countries, how do you manage the quality of the projects?
Artem Babayants：We haven't had any projects in China yet. We've seen some cutting-edge Chinese designs, it's impressive. We like Chinese design, there are interesting solutions. Fortunately, modern technologies provide many opportunities for conducting author's support of the project remotely. We are in touch online with local performers and customers when we conduct a project in another country. The work is done in chats and by photo and video communication. It is good that drawings and images have an international language. In fact, today there are no borders for an architect from any country!