What should a soulfully refined home look like? A home that is made solely in accordance with one’s personal worldview of modern space, philosophy and good taste? It should be a home that is filled with a pleasant desire to disconnect from public events and at the same time be an escape room – not an escape in this sense, but a sanctuary. Peace, purity of style and high quality design created by the harmony of forms – these are the values with which a house speaks to its owners every day.
Project Name: Escape House
Studio Name: LABS DIZAINS
From the inside out
The single-storey private house has been thoughtfully and carefully built, without any haste, gradually developing the idea of the desired end result. Its form has been created organically from the inside out, with the architect and designer working in unison. In fact, the structure and the structure of the rooms were clothed in the façade. First, the designer Alexey Churbakov Chief Of LABS DIZAINS and the client planned the logic of the house, then the conceived living space was wrapped in architecture. In some cases, this is the right way to completely eliminate unnecessary space or unusable rooms.
Function and nature
There are several key functions to be read: the building is U-shaped, so that each room can be read from the others through the open green courtyard; the window systems create transparent walls, allowing the soft sensations of nature to flow into the interior spaces. There are windows in all the rooms, there is enough daylight everywhere, but there is one small nuance: the windows are only on the courtyard side, the street-facing facade is monolithic, giving a clear message to passers-by of being cut off from the public.
the architectural design of the building was welcomed as being in keeping with the surrounding low-rise buildings, not overly ambitious but well proportioned. The indoor space has been the primary focus, rather than a demonstration of outdoor forms. The house also does not compete with nature, but lets it in.
Details and textures
A house is not just a collection of shapes and designs, but an owner’s other self with whom you can have an inspiring dialogue. The complex approach, the exploration of the owner’s thought process and lifestyle, was both a challenge and a success for designer Alexey Churbakov. Minimalism is often associated with a detached, stylistically sterile space, but in Escape, minimalism is derived from the owner’s desires and has some very precise guidelines – few possessions, no unnecessary decorations or accessories, natural textures in moderation and lots of hidden details.
There is nothing superfluous, but there are some special details that make the house feel cosy. For example, the handle embedded in the hinged wooden panel of the wardrobe is invisible in the rear view, but from the side you can see the sculpture – an oval, slightly raised carving in full wood. The carpenters, were excited by the task, but genuinely pleased with the end result and their own work. The entrance closet has an almost invisible small opening (perforation) at the bottom – a design detail with a functional aesthetic to provide ventilation for outerwear and shoes. The wood panelling is specially selected transcendental black stained ash. Geometry of form and play with textures. For the furniture and flooring, walnut, a noble wood with a distinctive grain and richness of colour, has been chosen, which in itself fulfils an excellent decorative function.
Home life is given a minimalist vector, while the study is allowed a little cosiness and homeliness, with a rug and a few atmospheric elements. However, the living space must be completely relaxing, with nothing to disturb or distract. For example, blackout curtains ensure complete darkness in the bedroom at all hours of the day and in different sunshine conditions.
Subtlety and experimentation in black
The concept of the house was well thought out, but at the same time the design elements were experimented with. The minimalist private house uses some of the world’s innovations, one of them being LCDA Concrete, a lightweight, porous concrete that offers a wide range of textures and shades to choose from. The design guidelines covered natural materials: stone, concrete, glass. Materials with clean lines, elegant and simple. But wood is allowed to express itself with a more ornamental pattern. As for the use of sophisticated materials, I should mention the large-format tiles in the bathroom, built as a functional and versatile unit, which other clients have chosen to integrate into their apartments, as the division of space allows it to be used sovereignly by two people. The subtlety of the black tone permeates the house like a faithful companion. Furniture (seating and coffee tables), dimmable light fittings controlled by a mobile app were sought from manufacturers, finding high-quality solutions not only on the Italian design market, but also elsewhere in Europe. The most important criterion was the quality of design and function within the client’s preferred style. Most of the furnishings in the rooms – the built-in furniture – are the work of Latvian carpentry craftsmen, who made the furniture according to the designs developed by Aleksei Čurbakovs, many of them incorporating glazed furniture doors with black glass. The elegant black that dominates the interior of the house is offset by the voluminous glazed facade in each room and the presence of nature visible through it; even the glazing in the sauna allows a view of the garden, but does not allow a glimpse of the sauna room from outside. Black interiors are demanding of their users, they are subtle; no shade is as mysterious and intriguing, at the same time elegant and minimal in its expression of emotion, as black. If you know how to use black, it is the perfect backdrop for everyday life. Alexey Čurbakovs likes to work with black, but it is quite rarely included in the clients’ wish list.
Wall and Deco was an experiment in outdoor wallpapers, which can be used on facades, and in a private house they are incorporated into the design of a terrace. It’s been around for a year now, but the wallpaper is still working perfectly, even in the capricious outdoor weather. If necessary, they can be easily cleaned with water or washed. The terrace is under a recessed roof to take the weather into account, and is equipped with both a fireplace and a barbecue, both in a corten finish.
