Countryside family home with contemporary art near the forest

The owners of this house — a family with two children — purchased a residence that had already been built in an English style, in keeping with the overall concept of the residential community. When interior designer and architect Natalia Sablina first saw the 350-square-meter concrete shell, it was clear that the project would require substantial work. The task was not only to expand the house but also to open it more fully to the surrounding landscape — a nearby forest and river — and to bring a sense of this natural setting into the interior.

The site itself imposed additional constraints. Its boundaries were defined by existing communication lines and neighboring houses that had already been built. At the same time, the clients wanted an extensive program: two children’s bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a master suite, a large multi-room dressing area, a study, a gym, a small spa zone, and a separate wing for staff.

The solution was primarily architectural. A second wing was added to the existing volume and positioned behind the main façade. As a result, the house retained its compact appearance from the outside, even though its total area increased to nearly 750 square meters. A single roof unites both wings, giving the building a cohesive architectural form.

During the reconstruction, several new elements were introduced to the façade: a covered entrance with a classical pediment, a terrace with a pergola, a round dormer window in the attic, and a bay window that allowed the kitchen to expand.

The ground floor is dedicated to the public areas. It includes an entrance hall with a dressing area, the owner’s study, and a hall with a staircase where the first artworks are displayed. The living and dining areas are arranged as a single open space but are visually structured by large art pieces. In the kitchen, the compositional center is a black marble island with an integrated extractor hood.

The second floor contains the private rooms: two children’s bedrooms and a master bedroom with its own bathroom. A spacious dressing room acts as a buffer between the landing and the master suite. The attic level accommodates additional functions, including a gym, the hostess’s study, a playroom, and a guest bedroom.

The clients asked for a contrasting interior. The architect responded by emphasizing the difference between the traditional architecture of the neighborhood and the more contemporary character of the interiors.

Art plays a distinct role in the project. The homeowner is preparing her daughters for admission to an architecture school, so the family asked the architect to help assemble a small collection. The interior now includes works by several artists, from Op Art pieces by Tatiana Andreeva to an abstract painting by Léon Zack from 1958.

Natural materials were chosen for the finishes: stone with a soft texture, precious wood used in built-in furniture and wall panels, and plaster window reveals. These elements reference classical architecture, yet they are interpreted here in a more restrained and contemporary way.

The landscape design became an important continuation of the project and was developed in collaboration with the studio of Tatiana Kamanina. The light palette of the interiors echoes the garden: in spring, serviceberry and snowdrops bloom; in summer, lilac appears near the kitchen windows; and in autumn, white hydrangeas come into flower.

The dark surfaces of stone and furniture inside the house visually extend through the large windows into the softer tones of the terrace and the outdoor fireplace area. The simple geometry of the landscape mirrors the proportions of the classical façade, linking the architecture, interior, and garden into a cohesive whole.

Interior designer Natalia Sablina, Sablina A&D
Instagram @sablina.natasha

Photo credit Sergey Krasyuk
Instagram @krasyukproduction

Style by Yes We May
Instagram @yes_we_may