The Fabergé’s Principle

It is a warm and sunny September in Prague. I have escaped from Omsk for several days, because here, in my beloved city of red roof, I can entirely immerse before the release of the new issue of the Impuls PLUS magazine. I go without haste to the famous Bellevue restaurant and, already sitting at the table, suddenly I see a familiar face, Ekaterina Bogachik! Well, how don’t you chat for a cup of coffee?

From the first words it becomes clear that Ekaterina here is not on vacation, she has a new project.

Ekaterina, you are destroying my stereotypes and prejudices, because I have always considered that the “golden heads” of Russian design are in the capital.

I love our city of Omsk very much, and I like to live there. And work, of course, it can be everywhere, doing projects in different cities and countries is so fascinating! Now I am working here in Prague on the design project of the house and hotel.

How difficult is it to work internationally? And how to please the European customer at all?

On the Fabergé’s principle (Laughs). Every interior, it is like an author’s jewelry which has its own uniqueness.

Carl Fabergé said that jewelry is valued not for a large number of diamonds, gold or pearls, but for its unique design.

Similarly, the exclusivity in the interior is not calculated by the number of eminent brands used in its creation. Here, the uniqueness and the author’s approach is important which is very appreciated by European customers, that is what is always implemented in our projects: we do not repeat ourselves.

You mean, do you use new materials all the time? But surely you have your favorite brands, factories which are also presented in salon “Bogach” in Omsk?

Of course! New interiors require new materials and always fresh actual at this point in time tendencies. Therefore, I plan my training, visits to factories, all landmark exhibitions, salons and expositions in a year ahead, because it is an integral part of my professional activity. Thanks to this I get acquainted with fashion trends, find new materials and ideas for work. Including for the salon “Bogach” in Omsk I necessarily order interesting designer things here, from unique interior souvenirs to exclusive furniture.

During one of my training courses for the first time I brought a wall watch of Swiss brand VITRA from the London Design Museum to my Omsk collection. Having seen this item in “Bogach” many customers of the salon began to ask to sell it to them. As a result, I began to order the products of this brand to our salon constantly. What is curious, until today, when I choose VITRA watch to send to Siberia, it is sold by salon employees yet even before reaching Omsk, there is always a buyer for it!

Is interior design from Ekaterina Bogachik an original project on paper or a finished space?

Beautiful pictures on paper is not a completed project. Everything that is drawn should be embodied. My clients live in entirely completed, finished interiors with installed accessories, with hanging paintings, with selected textiles, and everything there is done precisely under them taking into account all their desires and needs.

Ekaterina, how do you manage to do everything? So many objects (and also in different countries), a huge number of tasks facing you, training, exhibitions, family.

First of all, it is, of course, clear planning. If somebody thinks that designers are people with a “creative mess” in their head, they’re deeply wrong (Laughs). For me it is important to comply regimes and timelines, it disciplines well and allows to distribute properly all necessary tasks clearly in time.

And, basically, design is a vocation and love for entire life, and when you love, you can handle everything!

The coffee is finished, questions were asked, answers to them were obtained. The whole interview came from a chance meeting in the center of old Prague.

We warmly say goodbye and part with a smile: I go to prepare an article for the new issue of the Impuls PLUS magazine, Ekaterina goes to create a unique interior with a piece of Russian culture skillfully integrated in the western background.

Elena Proshchenko. Director of Impuls PLUS magazine in Omsk