Header: Courtesy of Beze Design
Four Elements is a 250 m² home on the fourth floor of a Moscow building, made by combining two flats into a single one. The clients were a young family with children, and they arrived with one thing already decided: they wanted the flat done in Japandi. Lead designer Elena Bezus, from studio Beze Design, tried to achieve this with a large amount of space and great views toward a park, having later won the “Apartment Interior Design” category at the SIT Awards 2026.
The Japandi vision
Japandi is a joining of two words, “Japan” and “Scandi”, and of two ways of furnishing a home. It takes the sparseness, the low furniture and the natural materials of Japanese interiors and the pale woods, the soft neutral walls and the plain comfort of Scandinavian ones. The word only came into general use around 2016, and Bezus has said that when she started work it was still rare and unusual in homes, which made the job a real challenge for her.
“I make interiors as if for myself. As a result, we got the most logical and comfortable configuration of rooms, where each element of the interior is filled with meaning and carefully thought out.”
Elena Bezus
Dressed in natural materials
The design is based on natural materials and their textures and on calm, natural shades. Combining the two flats allowed Bezus to unleash her creativity, as there was ample space to accommodate all the elements required by the Japandi aesthetic. She describes the outcome as the most logical and comfortable configuration of rooms, with every element in it thought through and given a purpose.
Made by hand from the designer’s sketches
Many of the pieces in the flat were made by hand from Bezus’s own sketches, which is what sets this interior apart from others in the same style. Among them are lamps that look like stone, “rocks” mounted on the walls, decorative panels, products in felt and wool, and art objects. She credits this way of working with filling the rooms with warmth and soulfulness.
“This project became not just a job, but a real creative union between the designer and the clients. The result is a timeless interior.”
Elena Bezus
Project information
Interior Design Company: Beze Design
Lead Designer: Elena Bezus
Location: Moscow, Russia
Date: December 2024
