This small apartment in Airbus is anything but small in sophisticated contemporary style and efficiency. Even though the entire apartment can be seen in nearly one glance, the architecture is true, the colors are neutral and muted, and décor is well-edited and designed to perfection.

The end result? An inspiringly maximized living space within an ultra modern apartment…and an inherently improved quality of life.

What greets us at the door is a wide, bright, all-white entryway. No extra and unnecessary furniture pieces clutter the walkway here, which allows everyone to appreciate and take advantage of the spacious width and tall ceilings.

Closet doors blend in seamlessly with the white walls, further maintaining the sleek appearance of the space while still meeting the functionality of front-door-space needs.

Crisp, clean lines and muted neutral tones exude simple sophistication in the living area. Huge windows at the opposite end of the room draw our eyes through the space and make it appear larger than it actually is.

Of course, although we’re drawn to the views from those windows, we can’t overlook the other focal feature of this apartment: a beautifully designed fireplace plus bookcase plus entertainment center plus extra seating.

The dark wood tones of this feature bring it instantly into prominence in an already beautiful space. And to keep anyone from being deterred by the sharp lines of this piece (if that’s possible), the entire thing rests on a bed of natural rock.

The rocks not only break up the straight lines that form this apartment’s skeleton, but they also create visual interest and probably serve a functional purpose as well, retaining warmth from the fire.

After investigating that Siren of a window view, you’ll turn around to get a full view of the kitchen and dining area.

It’s an open concept space, of course; most contemporary interiors are designed this way, simply because a small urban apartment such as this must maximize every square centimeter.

A closer view of the kitchen will show white cabinets that are a continuation of the white walls throughout the apartment. Wood floors throughout lend continuity and warmth – important details to incorporate into modern design.

Three narrow columnar pendant lights bring our eye up just enough to balance the scope, and they also mimic the shape and design of the modern bar stools.

A mirrored bar stool kick board reflects the living area (and, again, those windows), providing more light and substance to the view.

From the side, the highly efficient kitchen is a chicly unobtrusive workhorse.

Whether or not you’ve noticed the serene contemporary bedroom behind the sofa likely depends on whether the dividing curtain has been pulled open or not.

Even when open, the curtain serves double-duty as an added textural element to the space.

A glass wall (actually sliding door) separates the two spaces physically, while the white curtain can be pulled the length of the wall to separate the rooms visually.

The bedroom is, not surprisingly, warmly efficient in its décor as well. Crisp right angles and contemporary touches combine with a soothing color palette of stone and sand to create an inviting getaway space.

It’s a satisfying view, looking into or out of the bedroom.

A television mounted on an underlit “floating” shelf is given added distinction by its larger-scaled dark wood background, which frames the screen similar to what we found in the living area.

In such a modern space, we’d expect nothing less of the bathroom’s style…and we’re certainly not disappointed. A wall-mounted “floating” sink and cabinet set the tone for minimalism in architecture here, and the neutral palette is continued in this space as well.

And mirrors, mirrors everywhere make this tiny room appear at least double its actual footprint.

Design project byRussian architect Alexey Nikolashin from SL.Project.