Tired of the four walls and their interiors, unpretentious and luxurious, the townspeople are looking for liberation in the air. Exploring the Garden of a Luxury Home
Why do you read fiction or go to the theatre? If you are not a critic, then most likely you want to get a new experience. Finding ourselves in the world of flora, in a garden or a park, we also get a new experience.
Over the past two years, people around the world have been rethinking their daily habits. The Boston Consulting Group consultant explores the relationship between cities and citizens. According to the company, about 20% of respondents are considering changing their place of residence and moving to a suburb or village. To keep people in their orbit, cities have to increase the number of green areas.
It is not difficult to find a large park in Moscow. There are enough city gardens, various squares and places for long walks. There are spaces that are dearly loved by citizens and tourists that have received international recognition: Zaryadye Park was included in the top 100 best places in the world by Time magazine in 2018.
But what does the soul of a resident of a large metropolitan city ask for? Solitude. In your home and in your yard. In the 19th century, most of the gardens in the city were planted by wealthy homeowners. Today, the culture of the private garden is being revived by commercial development. Projects in different price niches compete not only in location, architecture and price, but also in the skillfulness of landscape design.
In the center of Moscow, like in Paris, Milan or Amsterdam, there are courtyards that are not mentioned in guidebooks. The temptation to go there is great, but most often this can be done only at the personal invitation of the owners. One of these courtyards is located on Povarskaya.
This house will stop your eye. Lilac and mint façades with Art Nouveau floral panels suggest a building built in the last century. But no, this is not a historical house, but a modern de luxe quarter with the poetic name “Theater House”.
The quarter is formed by several buildings – built from scratch, the facade of one of them, however, really historical – buildings of the late XIX century architect Nikolai Strukov. The houses are located along Povarskaya, Merzlyakovsky and Khlebny lanes. Apartment owners can get inside both from the street and from the yard.
Elegant lobbies were created behind solid doors. High class is encoded in the details: marble floors, crystal chandeliers and sconces from the famous Preciosa factory and an art collection of reprints of theater posters, which were selected in the Bakhrushin Museum.
But that's not all. The courtyard of the Theater House is built in such a way that its central part is a kind of proscenium around which the landscape “plot” unfolds.
To create a landscaping project, the Hals-Development group of companies, the developer of the Theater House, invited the architect Ilya Vasetsky, an expert on a well-known television program on a federal channel, the founder of the LI-ER company. His specialization is author's gardens adapted to our climate. Continuous improvement of the product is the credo of an intelligent developer.
The landscape design style continues the Art Nouveau motifs, which determined the architectural character and atmosphere of the entire quarter. The beauty of natural shapes and colors, smooth lines, a sense of continuous movement, artistry and intimacy – all this was managed to be carried into the space of the garden.
The chamber courtyard resembles a green living room. In the very heart of the city, 800 meters from the Kremlin, the inhabitants of the Theater House have their own picturesque inspiring landscape, and the total number of planted plants reaches almost 1000 units. All landscaping work completed.
The botanical collection is specially selected to create a continuous flowering cycle. In addition to accent flowering plants, there are evergreen junipers and mountain pines. Hydrangeas are responsible for the French mood, and several types of lilacs, maples and viburnum are responsible for the Russian style. In winter, the space of the Theater House is decorated with a Christmas tree installed in the center of the courtyard.
The plants are planted in curved flowerbeds. The flowerbeds are raised above ground level, due to which those who walk or rest on the territory of the “Theater House” are hidden by “green screens”. Forged lanterns are also made in the style of the quarter. The children were also taken care of: a wooden swing and a play complex in the form of a castle were installed for them. And the direction of movement in the courtyard is set by snow-white benches, interpreting the shapes of the benches in Barcelona's Park Güell.
Gaudi said that “a straight line belongs to people, and a curved line belongs to God.” By the way, he himself stayed to live in that same house with a wonderful garden, where the mind is easily freed from anxiety. In the garden of the Theater House, the lighting of plants and walking paths is responsible for the miracle, transforming the yard in the evening. With it, rest is pleasant in any season and at any time of the day, which is especially important for the capital's autumn and winter.
With such a courtyard-garden, the inhabitants of the Theater House can easily practice freeluffstliv at least every day. The concept of friluftsliv is a trend that came from Norway (fri means free, luft is air, liv is life). Followers of this philosophy spend time outdoors, restoring balance in contact with nature.
Aristocracy and comfort outside and inside make the new quarter on Povarskaya whole and atmospheric. The object, named the best in the nomination “Real Estate as an Art Space” according to the Move Realty Awards, is fully completed and has already been practically implemented.
