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The traditional Russian country house, the Dacha, upholds a distinctive nonchalant image. A home in which people seek refuge from the big city life, it’s often-indescribable aesthetic is made up of a collection of random pieces of furniture and nick-knacks collated over time. The Dacha becomes a melting pot of styles, each piece adding its unique narrative.

This tradition is continued in FORM Bureau‘s renovation of a large estate house, Suzdal Dacha, located in the ancient town of Suzdal northeast of the Russian capital. Moscow-based architects have created a building that fuses the contemporary with sentimental Russian-design elements. The result is a fascinating project that reignites the history of the estate while speaking with a contemporary artistic expression.

From the outside the home maintains its place within the town’s skyline, preserving its historical structure. Traditional timber-lace-detailed window frames and ledges are momentarily interrupted by a white window frame. It grows out of the side of deeply stained, decorative woodwork, a moment where tradition and modern forms and structure are paired together. The result is the creation of a project with an irresistibly rich narrative, where visual interest is undeniable.

While circulating throughout the 500-square-meter interior, one may think they have stepped through several different homes instead of just one. The building becomes a melange of style, colour, and texture, where seemingly incongruent items meet in perfect harmony. Some furniture and décor were the existing property of the owner, some were collected from vintage shops and selected across multiple brands. Other pieces have been custom designed and made, weaving together the new with the old.

Each room displays neutrality that sits in contrast to its heavily detailed exterior facade. FORM has created a space for relaxation and rest, a warm cacoon protecting those within from the fierce weather outside. Timber clad interior walls and exposed beams bring a sense of warmth, especially when layered with the unique fabrics and furniture and lighting from contemporary brands like &tradition, de la Espada, Massproductions, Gubi, Vitra and Cassina, amongst many others.

There is a certain playfulness that exists within each space, one room embodying the colourful energy of an expressive hung artwork with a segmented couch and a unique coffee table. The sleek lines of a contemporary staircase offer a moment of refined elegance; its white form appears more as though it was plucked from a contemporary art gallery, rather than a traditional Russian Dacha.

An impressive library and extensive collection of 19th, 20th, and 21st-century artworks by Russian painters ensure this home feels lived in. It doesn’t exist as a shell housing a conglomeration of mix-matched furnishings, but as a welcoming enclave that embodies the personalities of those experienced within.

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