Russian Romantic

It’s been awhile since our last Interests post when our examples of Hollywood at Chatsworth reminded us of our love for period movies, particularly as sources of design inspiration. While the sets for Pride and Prejudice, especially the Bennett’s charmingly derelict Longbourn House, are certainly among the most beautiful, there is one lesser known film that has always captivated us.


In the 1999 film Onegin, based on Alexander Puskin’s mid-nineteenth century novel in verse, the title character trades the glittering palaces of St. Petersburg for the glistening snows of his Russian country estate. As the jaded Onegin (Ralph Fiennes) engages with the provincial nobility he is introduced to our heroine Tatiana (Liv Tyler), who resides in this rustic wooden manor house with dream-like interiors.


The main living space is a grand white neo-classical hall with banks of white gauze curtained windows, rows of double columns, and a gleaming parquet floor. Arranged around this airy interior are seating areas, a dining area, and even a grand piano.


Throughout the film we see the space transformed from an elegant living room to an intimate supper room from banquet hall to whirling ballroom. As lovely as this space is however it’s the next one you enter that really caught our imagination.


Through the elegant double doors we leave the Grecian temple behind and find ourselves in something like a giant humidor paneled entirely with raw wooden planks. Similar to a modern family room, such a space would have been known as a divan room for the long cushion backed sofas that dominate the walls.


The stark contrast between these two completely different environments is unexpected yet makes perfect sense considering in the long Russian winter it would be ideal to spend the few daylight hours in a bright airy space before retreating to a warm cozy den for the long dark evening.


According to Priscilla Roosevelt, author of the fascinating book Life on the Russian Country Estate, neo-classical architecture and rough plank walls contrasted with intricate parquet floors were common to manor houses of the period, most of which were lost to history following the Russian Revolution. Onegin recreates this lost world down to unique touches like the one-of-a-kind divans and these wonderful wooden floor-standing candelabra that represent the type of provincial furnishings that would have been produced on the estate by local serf craftsmen.


For a decidedly modern take on the divan room look no further than the April 2010 cover of House Beautiful touting "the new look of wood”. We’ve even seen a new lounge open in the neighborhood sporting an interior clad in planks of wood recycled from old shipping palates for a uniquely green twist on the trend.

Click HERE to view the Onegin movie trailer.

Images #1-6 from Onegin, #7 from April 2010 House Beautiful.

At Home with the Romanovs

Our previous post on the Yusupov Mansion has me thinking back on my visit to Russia and all the sites I would love to see again as well as those I hadn’t the chance to see.
The most intriguing of these perhaps is one that may never be seen again as it was one of the lost private interiors of the last Tsar and Tsarina Nicholas and Alexandra. The Maple room of the Alexander Palace; so named for the lavish use of maple wood in it’s decoration; was conceived in 1902 as a private sitting room for the Tsarina and her children in the then very modern Art Nouveau style.
Among the most unique features of this space was an elaborately carved balcony spanning the room, which allowed Alexandra access to her husbands study across the hall while creating cozy nooks for her and the children around the tiled fireplace. In one of the opposite corners stood a massive custom designed semi-circular sofa surrounded by a ledge for displaying objects d’art and surmounted by an elegantly carved Maplewood cabinet which once held the Tsarina’s famous collection of Faberge eggs. Surrounding this comfortable nook are framed family portraits reminding us this was indeed a family room, albeit for one of the wealthiest and most powerful families on earth.
One of the most spectacular aspects of this eclectic gem had to be the incredible ceiling treatment of realistically detailed plaster roses concealing a then cutting edge indirect lighting system that would bath the ceiling in a soft green light. Perhaps one day this unique work of interior design will be restored to enchant visitors once again with its one-of-a-kind style. Anyone interested in more information on the Maple Room, the Alexander Palace, or the Romanov family should be sure to visit the incredible website Alexander Palace Time Machine.

Russian Rococo Restored

After revisiting Rio’s Lage Mansion in a previous post I wanted to share another inspiring residence encountered on my travels.

I first came upon the Yusupov Pavilion several years ago on a tour of St. Petersburg and it’s environs. The long neglected structure was undergoing a complete restoration and my group was invited to witness craftsmen fashioning plaster into the froth of Rococo scrolls encrusting the exterior.

Built in 1856 by architect I. Moniguetti, this exuberant Rococo fantasy was inspired by the great palaces designed a century earlier by the Italian master Bartolomeo Rastrelli, including the nearby Catherine Palace at Tsarskoe Selo. For wonderful artistic images of the ruined building before restoration see numbers 13 and 14 in the gallery here.

The beautiful summerhouse seen here in a period photo was built for Princess Zinaida Yusupova to house her collections of fine art and rare minerals. It's said the Princess was originally offered the mansion by the Tsar himself in exchange for her participation in amorous endeavors. Being one of the wealthiest women in Russia she chose instead to decline his advances and simply have the plans constructed herself. The Yusopov family is perhaps best known to history for Zinaida’s great grandson Prince Felix’s involvement in the assassination of Rasputin at one of the Yusupov’s St. Petersburg palaces.