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Conde Nast Traveler magazine recently had a big feature on Russia today, and in a sidebar discusses the country’s stereotypical penchant for over-the-top style. This is my take on the notion that Russia is all about bling:

New money is new money, anywhere in the world. Russians certainly have their own style but it is indeed very arrogant and foolish to write them all off as being tacky. I think an anecdote with a client best illustrates this. We were recently asked to look at a very upscale community on a beautiful lake north of Moscow. When we started to talk about architectural styling, we asked the client if she had any ideas. "Yes," she said. "I would like to build residences that look like MY house." She showed us photos. It was a timber, minimal cube. Beautiful, sophisticated and simple…