Beneath the rhythm of Moscow’s city center lies an unexpected expression of automotive culture — a car wash conceived less as a service facility and more as an immersive design environment. Black Star Car Wash transforms a utilitarian ritual into an experience shaped by light, geometry, and urban identity, blurring the boundary between functional space and contemporary art installation.
The venture is the latest project from Timur Ildarovich Yunusov — globally known as Timati — whose entrepreneurial vision extends far beyond music. As founder and CEO of BLACK STAR Inc., he set out to create a destination where luxury vehicles are cared for within a setting that reflects the same creative energy as the culture surrounding them. The result is an underground space that feels deliberate, theatrical, and distinctly modern.
Located along Myakininsky Avenue, the 1,200-square-meter interior presented a challenge from the outset: low ceilings and an absence of natural light. Architecture and design studio GRETAPROJECT, led by Margarita Denisova and Maxim Kashin, approached the project as an exercise in visual transformation. Rather than conceal the constraints, they used flat geometry, bold color contrasts, and sculptural lighting to reshape the perception of volume and movement within the space.
Graphite tones anchor the design, forming a moody canvas for dynamic calligraphy compositions that reference the BLACK STAR identity. Inspired by the mural culture of Miami’s Wynwood district, the repeated lettering and geometric patterns expand the visual field, creating an illusion of depth that counters the underground setting. The brand’s emblem — a stylized black sun — becomes a central motif, translated into luminous ring structures suspended above the washing bays.
Lighting acts as both guide and spectacle. Guests enter through intersecting beams that form an X-shaped composition, establishing a dramatic threshold between city and subterranean retreat. Linear fixtures, angled at forty-five degrees, lead the eye forward, directing movement through the facility with a sense of cinematic progression. The interplay between shadow and illumination gives the space an almost gallery-like atmosphere — a fitting backdrop for the vehicles it hosts.
Beyond the design language, Black Star Car Wash functions as a social destination. Individual service stations are divided by translucent partitions that maintain privacy while preserving visual continuity. A café lounge softens the industrial mood, inviting guests to linger over coffee or tea while their automobiles undergo meticulous detailing. The experience is less about efficiency and more about atmosphere — a pause within the urban tempo where automotive care becomes part of a curated lifestyle.
In a city known for bold architectural gestures, Black Star Car Wash offers a different kind of statement: one that elevates an everyday service into a design-led environment. By merging urban art references with precise spatial choreography, the project captures a broader shift in luxury — where even the most practical moments are reframed through creativity, identity, and the pursuit of immersive experience.
