![Strogino Flat by Ruetemple](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/07/strogino-flat-ruetemple-interiors-residential-apartments-moscow-russia_dezeen_hero-1-852x479.jpg)
Ruetemple creates small spartan apartment in Moscow
Space-saving oak furniture and white-washed walls feature in this minimalist apartment in Moscow renovated by architecture studio Ruetemple.
The small 40 square-metre apartment is owned by a young IT designer who wanted a clutter-free open-plan interior without any unnecessary decoration or detailing.
![Strogino Flat by Ruetemple](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/07/strogino-flat-ruetemple-interiors-residential-apartments-moscow-russia_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x1278.jpg)
"He wanted to see all the functions of the apartment – kitchen, living room, bedroom, workplace – in one open space, but with the right zoning," said the Russian architecture studio.
"Creating the interior, we focused primarily on the organisation of space; its ergonomics."
![Strogino Flat by Ruetemple](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/07/strogino-flat-ruetemple-interiors-residential-apartments-moscow-russia_dezeen_2364_col_2-852x568.jpg)
Instead of using walls to break up the open-plan space, the architects created defined zones using material finishes and floor levels.
The design revolves around several pieces of plain and simple built-in furniture made from solid oak. These include a tabletop that sits between the kitchen and bedroom that functions as a dining table kitchen work top and desk all in one.
The bed is built into a raised platform and is hidden from view by a grid of shelving. A series of drawers for storing sports equipment sit underneath the platform.
![Strogino Flat by Ruetemple](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/07/strogino-flat-ruetemple-interiors-residential-apartments-moscow-russia_dezeen_sq-2-852x852.jpg)
Natural light enters the apartment from windows in the kitchen and bedroom areas.
A large oak storage wall that conceals the bathroom stretches from the entrance of the apartment and wraps around into the kitchen. This wall contains hidden storage cupboards as well as a grid of open shelving arranged horizontally diagonally.
![Strogino Flat by Ruetemple](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/07/strogino-flat-ruetemple-interiors-residential-apartments-moscow-russia_dezeen_2364_col_8-852x568.jpg)
Opposite the oak storage wall, the architects have inserted another wall of storage in a contrasting white finish that incorporates a built-in wardrobe and a dressing room.
In a break from the oak and white-washed surfaces, a grey rendered plastered wall lines one side of the open plan space, spanning the bedroom and living room areas.
![Strogino Flat by Ruetemple](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2018/07/strogino-flat-ruetemple-interiors-residential-apartments-moscow-russia_dezeen_2364_col_12-852x1278.jpg)
In the bathroom, the architects used utilitarian white tiles and grey stone.
In 2014 Slovenian firm Studio 360 built walls of modular white shelving inside every room of this L-shaped apartment in Ljubljana to maximise space whilst removing clutter. Similarly, French studio CUT Architectures used a steel grid structure to create shelving, seating areas, a kitchen and a climbing frame for this apartment renovation in Paris' 6th arrondissement.
Photography is by Alexander Kudimov.