Microdome in the Moscow region: the dacha of architect Fyodor Dubinnikov

Architect Fyodor Dubinnikov, co-founder of the Mel studio, built himself a dacha on the high bank of the Istra reservoir. This house seems to be open to the four cardinal directions, while its area is only 63 square meters!

View from the kitchen to the living room and the adjoining bedroom. The door, the company “Invisible Doors”. Fireplace, Kratki Koza. Armchair, Ton, Czechoslovakia, 1960. Tables, Zara Home and La Redoute. For the lining of the underfloor heating, we chose tiles, Geotiles. “There is a certain understatement in it, sketchiness — like in children’s coloring drawings, where only the outline is applied, and you can figure out the color yourself,” says the architect.

Photo: Olga Melekesseva

Four black cubes made of wood and glass, offset embedded into each other — from the side, the house of Fyodor Dubinnikov resembles an architectural designer, the game of which can be continued at any time. If desired, the volumes can easily be “increased” with new blocks. “But I still have enough of everything,” says the architect.

The cubic volumes of the building are located with an offset dictated by the terrain of the site and the desire to preserve existing trees. This forms a complex plastic facade and niches, which are involved under the terraces.

Photo: Olga Melekesseva

“I’ve been doing modular houses for several years and finally built one for myself”

The terrace of the house serves as a continuation of the living room. Furniture, IKEA. Wooden facades, the company “Guild of Carpenters”.

Photo: Olga Melekesseva

Indeed, the interior space of 63 square meters, where the living room-kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms are located, looks surprisingly spacious. This effect is created by sliding doors with access to the terrace and panoramic windows that work on the lumen. “Here you are completely open to nature and the horizon,— Fyodor continues. — This is a very interesting feeling of a pavilion house. It took me, a resident of the center of Moscow, some time to get used to it and not feel like a fish in an aquarium. And although there have always been dachas in our family, it was only here that I discovered the beauty of all four seasons and was able to fall in love with winter. I used to perceive it as a time to “sit out”, “wait out” in the house, but now I’m the first to call for a walk.”

The kitchen and hallway are separated by a sliding door, which, when closed, merges with the wooden facades of cabinets where engineering equipment and a refrigerator are hidden. The kitchen, IKEA, is complemented by custom-made facades. Above the work surface is a portable lamp, Menu. Table, floor lamp and chandelier, IKEA. Coffee table, La Redoute.

Photo: Olga Melekesseva

“In the rays of sunset, the wall of the living room turns into a screen on which the branches of trees are projected”

At sunset, the wall in the living room turns into a screen on which tree branches are projected. The sofa is made according to the architect’s sketches in The Birdie workshop.

Photo: Olga Melekesseva

The construction of the building is extremely technological. The house stands on stilts and is assembled from structural and insulating panels. Their factory size of 2.8 meters determined the height of the premises. Therefore, the ceilings are low — only 2.7 meters, but this is not felt due to the panoramic windows. “The foundation was assembled in one day, the box of the building in two months, it took another three months to work on the interior,” says Fedor. — The layout is extremely rational. In order to save space, I completely abandoned the corridors. The vestibule serves as an entrance hall and is separated by a sliding door. The boiler room is hidden in a built-in closet in the kitchen. The bedrooms are quite compact, but here it seems that there is no need for more.”

The bedroom has a view of the forest and the water shining in the sun. But if desired, the windows can be closed with automatic shutters. Table, Skog konstruktor. The bed according to the architect’s sketches is also made in the Skog konstruktor workshop. On the wall is the work of Evgeny Granilshchikov. Magnetic track system, Salonysveta.

Photo: Olga Melekesseva

“Here you are completely open to nature and the horizon. It took me a while to get used to it.”

A fragment of the guest bedroom. Vintage chair and statuettes are the legacy of the architect’s grandmother.

Photo: Olga Melekesseva

The first items that arrived at the house were vintage Czechoslovak chairs. So in the ascetic minimalist interior there was a reference to the playful style of the 1960s, which was then supported by the shape of other modern objects, tiles and textiles with an abstract pattern. Antique figurines and chairs are literally “grandmother’s” things. “They have always stood in our apartment and now remind us of childhood,” says Fedor. — The color of the walls was chosen neutral gray. It goes well with the wooden facades of the kitchen and slightly expands the space. Now we are gradually picking up art. But we will definitely leave the wall above the sofa in the living room free. In the rays of the setting sun, it turns into a screen on which the branches of trees are projected. I can watch this movie endlessly!”

Architect Fyodor Dubinnikov, studio Mel, www.melspace.ru , mel_space