OK, maybe not. But according to a June article in The Washington Post, more and more Russians are getting into remodeling, removing the Soviet-era shackles from their homes and putting their money toward redecorating, new furniture, and other improvements.
The article -- a rare look at the home improvement industry outside of the United States -- reported that homeowners in Russia are trading their dull colors and bulky, standard-issue furniture for brighter paints and modern, unique furnishings. Design magazines, high-end stores, and, yes, even While You Were Out-type reality television shows are popping up all over the place.
But what is the likelihood of an American company hanging crown molding at the Kremlin or installing siding in Siberia? Not very good, according to Kermit Baker of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University -- at least not for a while. "It's a few steps away," he says, noting that because the industry has so few national and even regional players, it's unlikely that one would succeed internationally any time soon. "If a D.C firm can't replicate itself in Boston," he says, "how is it going to do so in Paris?"
Or Moscow, for that matter.
