Sergey Kochlin, founder of the architectural firm Le Atelier, made this concrete box a unique country house featuring undulating walls, eye-catching objects, and a standout staircase.
An Edra sofa, Olga Engel armchairs and pendant, and Mogg tables in the living room. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
While the bones were already there, an interior transformation was needed. This is where Sergey Kolchin came in. At the helm of his Moscow-based studio Le Atelier, the architect was selected to work on the project he describes as “a cave outside the city.” He continues, “That is exactly the feeling we wanted to create there.”
The light-filled kitchen features Edra chairs, a Marset light, and Desalto table. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
For more than a decade, Kolchin’s practice has taken on a range of ambitious briefs: from transforming a 1950s industrial building into a bright and modern office, to constructing, out of wood, a Moscow residence positioned on a steep slope. For this client’s “jewel box” project, the plan was to preserve the existing volume of the structure but rethink the organization of its different areas, approaching every room as an artwork. “The inspiration was the space itself,” he says. “As soon as I got inside the unfinished house, I immediately realized that the combination of high-quality concrete and wooden windows through which the garden is visible was already perfect and there was no need to invent anything extra. I just had to formulate spatial sensations and views.”
Custom Le Atelier tiles in the guest bathroom. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
Devoid of any walls, the ground floor now comprises the living room with its cozy fireplace, kitchen, dining area, and study, providing a free-flowing, smooth feel throughout. Going from one nook to the other is completely natural thanks to the open plan and cohesive look. Head down a level and you will find an environment that is optimized for relaxation, with the basement hosting a cinema and massage room with an undulating wall. “The main dramatic accent of the house is the complex sculptural staircase between the ground floor and the basement,” Kolchin points out. “The attention is immediately drawn to this structure, which hangs from the ceiling, barely touching the floor only with its bottom step.” The architect aimed to make this feature as light as possible, leading him to choose a frame of 2mm metal sheets with a honeycomb structure. “It gives the ladder rigidity without making it heavier,” he explains.
Mogg furniture and an Ateljé Lyktan light in one of the three bedrooms. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
Three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a terrace, and an elevator to get to the roof occupy the top floor, which is accessible via another staircase made of concrete and glass steps. Meanwhile, the patterns of the balustrade evoke the shapes of the owner’s Edra Miraggio mirror by Fernando and Humberto Campana. “They turned to us because each of our projects becomes a complete architectural statement,” says Kolchin, who adds that it was his first undertaking for this particular client. “We always work with modernity in its various manifestations. We never stylize or try to imitate something. When we enter the process, we do not know the result; the result appears gradually through dialogues and research. We let it appear organically. With our team we call our approach ‘contextualism.’”
The fireplace was designed by Le Atelier. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
Most important was the task of making the homeowner’s existing design collection stand out while introducing fresh and complementary additions, and the country house was imagined around this directive. Creating spatial intrigue – through asymmetry and rounded walls, for example – was also prioritized to transform a utilitarian setting into what Kolchin calls a “habitable sculpture.” He explains, “Our task was to design a space that reflects silence and preserves a certain sense of emptiness, although it is filled with eye-catching pieces.” Made entirely of concrete to keep the focus on the exterior panorama, the monochromatic interiors express austerity and tranquility, yet the geometrically shaped objects that populate the space bring movement. Pure lines combine with zigzags in a visual symphony that softly unveils its rhythm from one corner to another. Although the colors and materials encapsulate a masculine touch, the presence of curves balances it with femininity.
Olga Engel furniture in the expansive living area. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
Several pieces of furniture were custom made by Le Atelier, perfectly fitting in with the rest of the environment, while others are by contemporary brands and designers such as Mogg, Ezra, and Olga Engel. For Kolchin, this endeavor consisted of interpreting the “feelings from the house itself, from the client and from the surroundings.” The design of a home should be, he believes, “the most accurate reaction to those circumstances,” honoring his philosophy of always determining the aesthetic of a project according to its broader context.
A Cappellini chair and Edra tables in the vestibule. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
Even though the original architecture and the homeowner’s design pieces were the starting point, Kolchin gave a new personality to this unique space by further pushing an artistic vision where boldness takes center stage, where risk-taking is valued, and where character is key. Much more than just being a backdrop for the display of one’s most cherished possessions, this property has become a dramatic and beautiful scene that will continue to evolve with every element that is, and will be, part of it.
An Agnès Sébyleau sculpture in the living room. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
A light by Luke Lamp Co illuminates the floating stairs to the basement. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
Driade armchairs in the hall. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
The living room, with the sculptural staircase providing a backdrop for Olga Engel armchairs and Mogg tables. Photo: Sergey Krasyuk
Originally published in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Vogue Living Arabia
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