Chado Architectural Studio was founded in Rostov-on-Don by architect and designer Yevgeny Zadorozhny and Oleg Pigulevsky. Their work is defined by natural materials, restrained design and a dialogue with the surrounding environment.
In this article you will discover the architectural and design principles that characterise the Chado studio, the ideas it champions, and the foreign country in which it operates.
A country house in the Rostov region
This is a private single-storey house of 390 m2, built for a young family with two children. A spacious living room divides it into two zones: one for the parents and one for the children. The project was published on Archdaily.
Another solution is a double-sided fireplace that heats both the living room and the terrace simultaneously.
In their effort to dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior, the architects employed several techniques. Chief among these are tall panoramic sliding windows on the front façade, which look out over a courtyard with a swimming pool. Another solution is a double-sided fireplace that heats both the living room and the terrace simultaneously. The interior cladding uses textured brick — the same as that applied to the façade.
Such openness to the outdoors raises questions in the context of Russia's cold winters. Even so, the house is well heated: to keep the space warm during severe frosts, the fireplace is supplemented by convectors, radiators and underfloor heating.
The furniture feels substantial yet flows naturally into the surrounding space. The same is true of the décor, which sets a mood without drawing attention to itself. The bathroom is the most restrained and light-filled room of all, finished in granite.
The courtyard contains a pool that extends the visual axis toward the fireplace and on through the living room to the garden gate. In this way the entire plot has a precise symmetry about a single axis. The house is enclosed by a fence made of metal mesh filled with gravel.
A House in Jūrmala
This five-room house stands on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The building is divided into two wings of different heights: the lower section contains the children's and guest rooms, while the taller one houses the living room, dining room, kitchen and master bedroom.
Pine trees press close on all sides, but nature reaches even further — into the fabric of the building itself. Trees also grow in the inner courtyard that separates the bedrooms from the rest of the house. The architecture flows seamlessly into the interior design: grey brick, natural timber and concrete were used for both the exterior and the internal finishes, quietly dissolving the boundary between outside and inside, an effect reinforced by the full-height panoramic windows.
The interior is kept in understated, calm tones, occasionally and unobtrusively punctuated by bright accents. Concise contemporary furniture alongside mid-century design classics creates a warm, inviting atmosphere.
A House in the Rostov Region
Here again, brick, timber and concrete were used in abundance. The neat fence is made from the same crushed stone. Panoramic windows admit the maximum possible light. The exterior walls were clad in hand-moulded brick and timber worked by local craftsmen.
The design drew on the studio's favoured simple materials, but for this project the rawness was tempered with more refined elements — the dining chairs, for instance, or the kitchen cabinetry. It is striking how different decorative styles have found common ground, settling at a point that is neither too rough nor too polished. Some of the furniture was designed by the studio itself, including the television unit.
Another recurring feature in Chado's projects is a seamless flow of space — from exterior finish to interior, from outside to inside. The studio achieves this by using the same materials across different parts of the home. Here, for example, the same porcelain stoneware appears in both the dining room and the bathroom, while the timber of the floor is echoed on the ceiling.
A distinctive feature of this house is the barn doors leading to the bedroom.
A distinctive feature of this house is the barn doors leading to the bedroom. Specially designed hinges were used to make them easier to open.
Chado Architecture Studio
The studio was founded by Yevgeny Zadorozhny and Oleg Pigulevsky, both graduates of the Rostov Academy of Architecture who soon decided to set up their own practice. After much deliberation, they chose to name it Chado — meaning, in effect, that it is their own creation, their brainchild. They divided responsibilities in line with their respective areas of expertise: Yevgeny took charge of the architectural side of projects, while Oleg focused on interiors.
Today they build private houses, hotels and park structures, and work internationally — projects are currently under way in Montenegro, Italy and Latvia.
"Architecture is, above all, the atmosphere in which a person lives, and the task of the architect and designer is to make that atmosphere a positive one. We must rid ourselves of the compulsion to impress. In everyday life, spectacle gets in the way."
The studio's work is defined by visual restraint, precision and an abundance of natural materials. The ethos that Chado carries is expressed in the words of Yevgeny Zadorozhny:
"Architecture is, above all, the atmosphere in which a person lives, and the task of the architect and designer is to make that atmosphere a positive one. We must rid ourselves of the compulsion to impress. In everyday life, spectacle gets in the way. [...] Architecture is nothing more than the stage on which a person performs. It should reveal them, not overshadow them."
Other projects
Chado Architecture Studio on social media: on Instagram and Facebook.
To continue exploring Russian designers, we recommend reading the article about seven talents in the field of product design. And for this project the captain's house a great deal of concrete, stone and wood was used as well.
