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Creative Minds

Creative Mind: Harry Nuriev

The Russian-born visionary devises retro-futurist interiors, furnishings, and digital installations through his design firm, Crosby Studios

By Geoffrey Montes
Man in a blue jacket standing in a reflective room with mirrored walls and shiny surfaces.
Harry Nuriev in his installation, The Bedroom, at Design Miami 2021. Photo: Lex Merico, Courtesy of Crosby Studios

Worlds both real and simulated collide in the multifaceted practice of Harry Nuriev, a Russian-born visionary who creates retro-futurist interiors, furnishings, and digital installations through his design firm, Crosby Studios, which he founded
in 2014. “Virtual reality is not a joke anymore,” he says. “There’s a new universe of unlimited possibility.” 

Person wearing blue jacket and wide-leg pants in metallic mirrored room, creating reflections and a futuristic atmosphere.
Harry Nuriev. Photo: Lex Merico, Courtesy of Crosby Studios

The fast-rising talent offered a portal to this universe last year, devising a slick cyber showroom for the launch of his minimalist home goods line with retail site HBX. Nuriev further blurred the boundary at the most recent Design Miami/, where he installed a silver bedroom with a matching ryokan-style mattress and bedding, all made of a liquid silver vinyl resembling Mylar. “I started with the question: How can I make physical space that looks virtual?” he recalls. “Once inside, you feel like you’re in a rendering.” 

Circular art installation with reflective walls and a vibrant purple glow, featuring metallic textures at the base.
Harry Nuriev, The Bedroom, 2021. Installation view at Design Miami, 2021. Photo: Jeanne Canto, Courtesy of Crosby Studios

“This world is so colorful. Why should our living environment be any different?”

Harry Nuriev

Color Coded: Another recent project, a cyberpunk café in Moscow, features a reflective palette that comes punctuated with punches of acid green. Such bold use of pigment has become a signature for Nuriev. “This world is so colorful,” he explains. “Why should our living environment be any different?” 

Futuristic room with metallic reflective walls and floor, illuminated with soft purple and yellow lighting, abstract design.
Harry Nuriev, The Bedroom, 2021. Installation view at Design Miami, 2021. Photo: Jeanne Canto, Courtesy of Crosby Studios
Person lying in a reflective, silver and pink room, wrapped in metallic material, wearing a blue tie-dye shirt.
Harry Nuriev in his installation, The Bedroom, at Design Miami 2021. Photo: Lex Merico, Courtesy of Crosby Studios

Looking Ahead: This year has already been busy for the artist: He designed a pop-up concept shop for Colette founder Sarah Andelman that debuted during Paris Fashion Week and crafted a trippy, mirror-filled boutique for Russian jewelry brand Avgvst in Moscow. More residential, commercial, and interspatial projects are forthcoming. “If someone needs our expertise, I’m always open if it clicks,” he says. “That’s what freedom in design looks like.” 

A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2022 Spring Issue under the headline “Creative Minds.” Subscribe to the magazine.