Georgia on My Mind
P. 106
An Art Nouveau building in the historical center of Tbilisi, for a large renovated apartment
Lockdown took Eka Papamichael by surprise in Greece, during a week of vacation with her 12-year-old twins and her husband Phedon, a cinematographer. It was early March, and since then she has not been able to visit her spectacular Art Nouveau house in Tbilisi, Georgia, the city where she grew up. Time and Soviet rule were far from gentle there. Decades of layered wallpaper concealed the unacceptable expressions of the capitalist heritage the Red Army tried to sweep away with the invasion in 1921. Their removal has brought to light refined frescos with views of Venice and curious domestic scenes inhabited by gnomes. A large archway between two walls has been reopened and transformed into the central feature of the living area, thanks to the glazing.
«When I saw the house for the first time it was still split into five small flats, and in spite of mistreatment you could still get a sense of the lively spirit of 1902, when the musician Nicola Kartvelishvili commissioned the design from the architect Simon Kldiashvili, who was much in vogue in the city at the time», Eka says. The restoration lasted 18 months, supervised by Lela Ninoshvili. Walls were knocked down, doors and partitions removed, and original decorations restored. The results have led to the prestigious My Heritage prize of the National Trust of Georgia.
The beautiful facade features balconies, windows and traditional shushabandi, the glass-covered loggias that make the architecture of Tbilisi unique. The hope is that neighboring buildings from the same era will follow suit.
Inside, a collection of Georgian kilims establish a dialogue with the structure and its decorations, along with furniture found at flea markets, with a marked preference for Italian pieces from the 1950s: desks and chairs in Buffa style, buffets, Venini lamps in glass and brass. Mixed with antique Russian crystal chandeliers, Art Nouveau floral floor lamps, and contemporary design pieces.