A video testimonial from Venera, a designer at VIA Interior Buro. Her team furnished 14 investment apartments of 60–120 m² in the A. Residence club house in Moscow. 114 furniture items were selected online with MBL manager Ariuna — living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens and dining groups. The level of European brands within an investment budget.
‘The task was to furnish 14 apartments ranging from 60 to 120 m² for onward resale or rental. The furniture had to be selected so that the space would come out beautiful, comfortable, practical and at the same time uncluttered.
The standard of the location dictated quality designer furniture that would be on a par with European brands, but would fit the budget of investment flats. That is how the idea of working with China came about, and our first partnership with MBL.»
In the second apartment an Italian Arketipo sofa stood next to furniture from China. This is not our comparison — it is the conclusion of the designer who brought them together in one interior
The prices are stated in the video itself. This is the cost of the items alone, selected by MBL to suit an investment budget
‘Our entire project was run remotely, online, by our manager Ariuna. We never met in person’
14 apartments for rental and resale. Furniture at the level of European brands was needed, but within an investment budget. Attractive, comfortable, practical and uncluttered.
With the manager we discussed the dimensions of every item and whether they could be changed, as well as materials and substitutions. Several weeks for the selection, the estimate and the approval of 114 items.
The manager visited the production site, photographed the finished pieces and sent photos and videos of shades and materials for approval. The designer and the manager never met in person.
The furniture arrived in crating, film and cardboard. Each box carried a photograph of the item, which made distributing them between the apartments easier. ‘We relaxed and began to enjoy the unpacking.’
Colour rendition. In the photographs of the finished items the shades sometimes jumped about alarmingly. The managers made an effort to show more realistic colours before shipping.
Time difference slowed the approvals down at first — then the sides adjusted and the process moved faster. A huge lorry could not fit in to unload at the residential complex — MBL broke the cargo up and sent several small vans.
This was our first experience of ordering from China, and we were afraid to furnish every room. But now, with the experience we have, I would definitely go for more items — including textiles, lighting and decor.
7 minutes on the MBL channel. The designer speaking first-hand, two flats from the project
Venera shows two apartments from the A. Residence project: light minimalism with a French vibe in the first and a ‘man cave’ with an Italian Arketipo sofa in the second.
And separately — about Ariuna, the manager who ran the whole project online: she visited the factories, sent photographs and videos of materials and approved 114 items.
And about the honest details: the fear when unpacking the first batch, colour rendering in photographs, the time difference and the huge lorry that had to be broken up.
Stills from the video testimonial — two apartments, furniture, materials and unpacking
A. Residence development · Moscow
Apartment 1 · living room
Sofa · $3 031
Armchair · view from the window
Travertine · $933
TV unit · $1,546
Kitchen · island
Bedroom 1 · 180 mattress
Unloading from the container
Wooden crating · photographs on the boxes
Cocoon chair · $1 449
Dining set
Bed · $3 155
Result · apartment 2Items from this project — we matched them in our catalogue. Add them to your estimate list, we'll price the replicas for free.
like the curved bouclé sofa in the living room
that very egg chair by the window
like the Arketipo leather sofa
like the leather bed in the bedroom
Project brands:
Предварительный расчёт по ключевым позициям. Срок зависит от объёма проекта и ответов фабрик. Online, как в проекте A. Residence.
Other interiors furnished by MBL online
Minotti
$900k
$80k
