Successful Moscow restaurateur Vladimir Perelmanlaunched a new project — the architectural bureau I Like Design. We managed to meet the owner in one of his establishments and find out how difficult it is to open your own studio. In just a few years of work, Vladimir Perelman was able to create truly successful restaurants with unique interior decoration. The first one — I Like Bar on Shabolovskaya — was opened four years ago, followed by I Like Wine and Beer & Brut. Two more establishments are under construction, but Vladimir has already launched his next project, called I Like Design. I Like Design This is a young architectural and design bureau ready to carry out only original and interesting tasks. The creative team of designers, who have worked together on all of Vladimir Perelman’s projects, specializes mainly in commercial real estate. Fresh ideas, unconventional solutions, bright ambitions and boundless love for their work — this is what most succinctly characterizes the activities of the enterprise. The head of the bureau, Vladimir Perelman, met us in his restaurant Beer & Brut, the interiors of which were designed and implemented by designer Evgeny Pozharsky. Evgeniy is a co-author of all of Vladimir's projects, with whom they have been friends since childhood. And it was he who became the chief architect of I Like Design. The friends happily agreed to tell the Roomble portal about their formula for success.
— How did the idea to open an architectural studio come about?bureau and how long ago did this happen? — Evgeniy and I are great at working together. We grew up in the same yard, we have equally wonderful families, the same upbringing, worldview, principles of decency, we speak the same language and communicate a lot. It turned out to be a successful and cool tandem. I am a restaurateur, and he has been involved in design and architecture for many years. And we have done each of my restaurants together. Evgeniy had his own bureau, and now there is an opportunity in our I Like Design to work on the projects that interest him. — What is the concept of the new project? — Evgeniy and I have been working together for a long time, so we understand how we should develop. In addition to architecture and design, this will be everything - from construction to attempts to make designer furniture, decor and interior items. Evgeniy himself creates a unique number of interesting art objects in the workshop - from plumbing items to musical instruments.
— The I Like Design brand, it turns out,was formed a couple of months ago? What will change in your work? - Yes, it only recently appeared, but essentially nothing has changed, Evgeny, as he drew all our projects, continues to draw, he is also doing two new restaurants. And all subsequent projects, naturally, will be led by him. And I Like Design is, as they say, a way out. Apart from restaurant interiors, we have never done anything to order, so we hope that we will be able to combine my organizational skills with Zhenya's talent. This will be our new experience of working together for someone. We never share our synergy, I never even think that Zhenya works for me, and I am his customer. This is our uniqueness, since there is a certain integrity, there is friendship, there is absolutely complete mutual understanding and extensive experience, because now we are building our sixth restaurant together. And all of them are complex and thought out in terms of configuration and design, business and budget. Much is done by hand, as Zhenya understands the market realities and, one way or another, reduces costs. — So, every detail of the interior of this restaurant is made by ourselves? — Yes, everything is done by us, and we deliberately overload the interior with elements. If you look closely, you can see that all the accents are made mainly of cheap and, as a result, affordable materials, such as, for example, plywood. The main thing is the shape, color and the end result. You can mount a light bulb in a brick and hang it. It's cheap, but it makes an impression. Although there are labor-intensive elements, such as a piano-sink. A lot of money and time is spent on production, but the result is a new and completely non-standard item.
- And this is what will characterize ILike Design? - True. Another feature of our bureau is that, as a public figure, I am responsible with my name for what we do. The essence of this business is that if the result turns out to be bad, the reputational consequences will be colossal. Because a restaurant is a living mechanism, and a few bad reviews can darken the activities of the entire enterprise. For me, this is a risk and responsibility. Few of the recognized architectural bureaus can compare with such an audience reach as ours. About 300,000 people pass through the already opened restaurants per year, and soon their number will double. We do projects for the middle level and above, and this is the class of people most susceptible to crises, and in our case we must be perfectionists in absolutely everything. - Is it difficult to open an architectural studio? - You can always touch a restaurant, which cannot be said about a studio, which for the time being can be some kind of ephemeral and virtual concept. I Like Design now are people who can implement ideas. We are in free flight mode. Moreover, you can always come to the restaurant, as to a ready-made object of our coworking, look at what our team has done, and discuss the details.
Vladimir Perelman, Ilya Levshitsky, LeonidShamis — Does the bureau already have any orders? — There are no third-party orders yet, we are currently finishing two of our own projects. There have been requests, and we are always ready to consider any order or answer any questions regarding design, construction and renovation. But first of all, we will take on those projects that fit into our idea of beauty. — What is an interesting project for you? — There should always be freedom of activity. This is exactly why everything works out so well for Evgeny and me — I give him a wide scope for creativity, I do not impose my wishes, we can always change something in the process. It is necessary for the person to believe in you. For example, a customer will come and say: “Guys, you did a great job, make me a fish restaurant the way you feel and want.” This is the kind of project that interests us. But if there is an order for a classic Italian interior with Provence elements, we will most likely refuse. — Will the focus be on commercial projects, private homes and interiors, or something else? - Private clients often don't understand what they want. And working with them is, accordingly, much more difficult. Everything changes all the time, and any commercial project is usually a cost-effective job with tight deadlines. Figuratively speaking, we are now trying to bring to the commercial component what we have been doing all these years. We are able to build restaurants together, and we understand that we can do this for others as well. These can be not only bars, but also private homes, offices, cinemas. We are just at the beginning of our journey and for now we will continue to work on our own projects, but if I Like Design receives an interesting and unique order, then together with Evgeniy we will be able to bring it to life. My dream is for the bureau to become a full-fledged and large studio that will create on a global scale. It is important that we want to evoke emotions in people, color the Moscow grayness, we love bright and catchy elements, we try to make festive and unforgettable projects.
Success story: interview with the creators of the fashion brand I Like Design
