An Intimate Garden for a culinary blogger

Studio INRE talks about “An intimate garden for a culinary blogger”.

Location: Kaluzhskoe Highway, Moscow region, Russia

Client: Natalia Varvina, a blogger

This project is an example of the redevelopment of a site with minimum funds and within a very limited timeline. After a thorough work on the initial data the designers kept the zoning of the territory, preserved the existing footpaths and paving. The old pavilion was replaced by an eye-catching minimalistic veranda. Now the owner can film a culinary blog there, as well as get together at the table for family dinners and barbecue parties.

Rest area
Photography: Studio INRE

To design an atmospheric garden, a large number of plants were bedded out: 35 bushes of wild and large-leaved hydrangeas, mountain and black pines, euonymus, rhododendrons, lavender. With the help of dense plants along the perimeter the architects managed to hide the garden from strangers’ eyes while balancing at the same time strong elevation difference. To create a “live” background, thujas were planted by the pavilion: they separate the garden and the street and serve as “natural blinds” from the neighbors’ land. The blossoming hydrangeas and dense blushes mark the internal borders of the garden. The space looks intimate and spacious at the same time: one can either rest on the couch by the fire or enter the pavilion.

Pavilion interior
Photography: Studio INRE

An austere minimalistic veranda, designed by INRE Design Studio, is made of heat-treated wood and is painted into two contrasting colours with a horizontal rhythm. Its space is split into three parts: the kitchen area with work surface, the dining area and the bar counter. The pavilion is decorated with designer metal pots with seasonal plants – hydrangea and aromatic lavender. The floor is covered with porcelain stoneware and lawn grass (a natural carpeting). The multifunctional bar counter is easily transformable: it can host master classes here, one can pour cocktails, uniting people and encouraging the communication or having breakfast with the garden view. The open fire zone is comfortable for cooking outside. The pavilion is constantly full of light and air, shimmering on the wooden planks. At night the land plot is lit up with LED lighting with the capacity to adjust the glow warmth. The combination of the colours and textures, wood, growing plants and fire creates a relaxing atmosphere for chilling out in nature.