If you light the fabulous doors with recessed cans in the ceiling, they will shine beautifully. You might need another coat of whatever they were finished with. If you can't install new ceiling lighting, try dramatic uplighting from a couple of cans on the floor. In the US they run about $10.

As for decor, who will the occupants be? Young family, singles, older people? The chandelier and striped wallpaper are quite formal; do they like formal style?

My first inclination would be to paint them black but that wouldn't help much with the light so painting them or glazing them lighter might be nice. White painted woodwork is all the rage here.

thanks all, I'm tempted to paint them a creamy color to go with the kitchen cabinetry. I'll lose the timber grain but as the doors are made of spruce, I figure losing the grain isn't too big a price to pay. In addition, I wondering about piano paints, that ultra-high gloss finish like you would see on a grand piano. Any thoughts?
IN answer to apple's question in regards to style......it's not so much about formal style here but about being 'imposing or intimidating. Attitudes are changing slowly but cultural change takes time.
And as for Décor, it will be a young family, so I'm trying to mix a bit of that sense of grandeur with the user friendliness necessary for a young family.

The doors are spectacular and it would be a shame to change them. Why don't you just keep them open all of the time........?
I know that is a non-solution, but it would solve the dilemma........

yep, I was thinking about that,....but all the doors in the apartment are like this,...not as grandiose with the glass framework etc but each door has been hand made. Unfortunately, in addition, each door has only been rough finished and with a dark stain, so 'tis not an easy solution.

I love this door the way it is , no need to paint just polish it

The glass-like, high gloss piano finish is extremely labor intensive and hard to achieve outside of a professional shop. It requires a hard wood; I am not sure if spruce can be finished like that.

If the young family wants to keep the grandeur and yet live in a family friendly apartment, you could paint the rougher doors and keep the shiny foyer doors as is. I have never painted spruce, so I don't know if it needs as much primer as generic American pine over the knots. (Yes, I know spruce is a type of pine). Houzz contributor Rockin Fine Finish or some of the other pro painters may have advice.

An alternative is simply to accept the doors as they are, and concentrate on the rest of the design. There are some fabulous designs in Paris that retain elements of grandeur while mixing in more modern and functional pieces. try http://www.houzz.com/photos/living/paris-

I dont think the doors are the problem.....I think its all the multiple window panes around the doors. Maybe you could remove all the interior wood frames and replace them with single panes. I hope this makes sense !!!

Can you use the doors somewhere else? Consider replacing them with something light and airy.

Or unhinge them and take them to a shop to have them dipped in stripper to see what the look like raw. Note though that dipping can loosen joints if not done correctly. Minor risk. But the you can sand them smooth and revarnish them.

But spruce may not get much lighter. And of course that won't change the window frames.

Sounds like a bad idea. Dipping and stripping them will raise the wood grain and require extensive sanding. You have a change of loosing much of the carved detail.

thanks all for the responses, I think I might leave them be and see if I get used to them,...then if they still bother me, then I might resort to painting.

Try just removing the doors and storing them or use them as art by using them as a headboard just leaning them up against the wall behind the sofa or ??? The glass wall adds interest between the two rooms. Maybe put something interesting on the other side of the door that you see when you enter through the front door like a vignette, sculpture, focal wall etc.

It would be ashamed to see those beautiful wooden doors covered in paint. I would have them removed and sell them. People would pay a reasonable price for these doors.

Are you in one of the Seven Sisters? Have always been curious about the floor plans in those splendid apartments built for the CCCP elite. As a thought (arising from our thoughts about some Chinese windows we have) consider removing a door or several and having them fit into a screen that could be a decorative item in a living room, etc. They can be re-hung on departure, and alternative doors (perhaps with obscrued glass insets to improve light transfer, installed for better enjoyment of interior spaces.

I think you should remove them, wrap them up well, and ship them directly to me. I LOVE them!

How about covering them with sheer light curtains like shown on the picture? or maybe paining the frames in white?

hi guys, thanks for all the responses, most of the ideas ( except for the idea of selling them ;-) ) are brilliant. To respond particularly to Garden Oaks comment about the CCCP elite: Unfortunately, much of the real history of the building is lost. We know it was built in 1956 during the Kruschev era, but have been unable to obtain any information whatsoever about former occupants before the emancipation of Lithuania in 1991. All we know is that it was bought by the professor of economics at Klaipeda University who had it from 1993 until we purchased it a couple of months ago.
As a matter of interest, Leonid Breshnev used to have his summer Dacha a half hour from here. It's on booking.com : here's the link : http://www.booking.com/hotel/lt/auska-palanga.en-gb.html?aid=311984;label=auska-palanga-Um0nasYLISlUTDM6oZdZLAS32438464633%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap1t1%3Aneg;sid=20717eb6ea8aa6b62b9d7f17638d1649;dcid=1;ucfs=1;srfid=c3c07abd0ac3e4661bb89333aaa8e07a117b4c36X1
I've been there for client's parties and can verify that everything in the photos is actually a little less than it is in real life. It's an amazing place, both threatening and opulent at the same time.

Fascinating - enjoy the experience and congrats on the space!