What does the dacha of journalist Evgenia Mikulina in Kratovo look like Design 24.03.2022 Journalist Evgenia Mikulina, founder of the online resource DesignChat.com, told about how she recreated the atmosphere of childhood in a country house near Moscow The old country house was rebuilt, increasing the height of the attic floor, but otherwise its appearance and proportions are preserved. The verandah bindings have been restored. The garden around the house is the work of the Mokh landscape bureau. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD I am a “country” person, my best memories are associated with long summer months in carelessly beautiful old houses near Moscow. After the birth of the eldest daughter Valya, we rented a dacha in Kratovo for many years. Journalist Evgenia Mikulina on the terrace of the library, Nikolai Lyzlov was engaged in its design, the company Carte Blanche Engineering was engaged in construction. The door, the company “Atmosphere 9”. Outdoor furniture, IKEA. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD This is an amazingly protected place: the city is close, but it’s quiet here, huge pine trees, fish, ducks and even an otter are splashing in the lake. Then the youngest Sasha was born, and her father, a man of the same suburban upbringing, said: “We need our own house.” And not just a house, but a Dacha with a capital letter, which will give the girls “our” childhood impressions. The restored porch leads to a small veranda where the younger daughter’s playroom is located. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD A children’s playroom located on the small veranda of an old house. Furniture, IKEA. Sofa, vintage. The door, the company “Atmosphere 9”. The old bindings have been restored. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD A charming pre-war green summer cottage with white verandas was found in the perfect place: next to the lake, on a huge plot. But she was tiny. The reconstruction project was made by architect Nikolay Lyzlov. He placed a “library” (a portable living room) and a three-room guest house on the site of the sheds — we call it the “Bates Motel”. The interior of the “library”. The fireplace was designed by the company “Thermospetsmontazh”, it is tiled with Original Style. Furniture, IKEA. The antique chandelier in the Anuvo style is the family property of the hostess’s husband. The oriental carpet in front of the fireplace is a gift from designer Leyla Ulukhanli. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD The old house was almost untouched, the verandas and low ceilings were preserved; the attic was raised only a meter — the teenager Valya received a secluded attic. The construction was carried out by the company “Carte Blanche Engineering”, and I could only “create”, recreating the details of the country atmosphere. I didn’t bother with furniture: country things should be simple, and I honestly went to IKEA. View from the kitchen to the veranda. Kitchen, the company “Stylish Kitchens”. On the shelf there are Gzhel mugs from the family collection and a cup bought in Sorrento, on the countertop there is a plate, Seletti, and a Gzhel oil can. Kitchen apron and tile floor, Original Style. On the veranda there is a vintage crystal chandelier, on the windowsill there is a stained glass window painted by the eldest daughter of the hostess. Chair, IKEA. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD “We needed not just a house, but a Dacha with a capital letter” The terrace of the “library”. Furniture, IKEA. On the table is a candlestick by the Italian designer Francesco della Femina, presented to the hostess by the author. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD The warmth of the house is given by books, watercolors on the walls — my work and the work of my parents, architects. And silly details like a family collection of bottles or lampshades with fringe: the husband is sure that without them the cottage is not a cottage. They are multicolored and zone the living room. He insisted on fireplaces in the library and in the living room—I doubted it, but the idea was brilliant. Living room in an old house. The fireplace was designed by the company “Thermospetsmontazh”, it is tiled with Original Style. The table of the XIX century was bought in the “Antique shop in Kalashny Lane” and restored by Eduard Tatyvosyan. The rest of the furniture is IKEA. Fabric lampshades zone the room – yellow over the table, red over the “sofa group”. On the mantelpiece is a watercolor of the hostess’s mother, architect Elena Mikulina. On the cabinets are vintage bottles from the family collection. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD Our “just a country garden” is a filigree work of the Mokh bureau. In my opinion, everything worked out for us: it seems that the house has always been like this, we did not build anything. And the kids really like it, and that’s what it was all about. 1/4 Shower room in the guest house. All plumbing, Burligton. Tile, Original Style. Photo: STEPHAN JULLIARD The old house was almost untouched: verandas and low ceilings remained View from the far part of the plot to the “library”. The ledge in the roof is made specifically to preserve the old birch. Photo STEPHAN JULLIARD Original content from the site