Although Delo Design began as an architecture practice, the Russian studio soon switched to designing and manufacturing furniture. Now, the firm has returned to its roots with the design and construction of a compact, modular cabin in a pine forest near St. Petersburg.

“We were asked to create The Cabin for a friend who needed a temporary place to stay during the construction of a bigger country house, which we were also developing,” says Arsenii Brodach, who co-founded Delo Design with Anastasia Gulyaeva.

The Cabin is located on a beautiful forested site at the edge of Privetninskoe village. While temporary buildings are popular in the area, they often take the form of sheds or saunas. Delo Design’s structure stands out as a comfortable and compact, fully functional living space.

It’s the firm’s first cabin, although Brodach and Gulyaeva plan to make the design available for other clients to purchase. “We envision The Cabin as a modular house that can be mass produced, like any piece of furniture or home accessory,” says Brodach. “It’s important that it can be easily installed in any suitable place. Tourism is not really widespread in Russia, and we want our project to inspire and develop this sector. Several cabins could easily be used as a modular hotel outside of a city, for example.”

The Cabin’s exterior and interior are clad in pine boards that synch with the surrounding forest, and a large window floods the living area with natural light while visually enlarging the space.

The interior measures just 11.2 square meters (about 120 square feet), yet manages to fit in a kitchenette, half-bath with shower, dining area, and bedroom with a fold-out bed and storage space. “Our experience designing and manufacturing furniture helps us construct architectural objects on different scales,” reveals Gulyaeva. “We also pay special attention to the little details.” The Cabin, for example, features a number of bespoke crafted details, including the gutter and windowsills.

In total, The Cabin cost €11,000 (about $13,400)—a figure that aligns with the bespoke nature of the construction. “We didn’t want to make it as cheap as possible,” says Brodach. “Instead, we chose materials and technologies that were really necessary for a high-quality product. At the same time, the budget is affordable for our target audience.”

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Like the Delo Design’s furniture and accessories, The Cabin is manufactured in the studio’s St. Petersburg factory, which allows for a high level of quality control. The “plug-and-live” unit can then be delivered directly to the site, and it’s ready to use as soon as it’s connected to utility systems.

“The Cabin is a complete house, but it’s also a product, like a chair or a candelabra,” says Gulyaeva. “It helps to solve the big problems of countryside living—many people strive for it, but either can’t afford it or don’t want to begin a long-lasting construction process. The Cabin offers an alternative, easy, and fast solution.”

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Delo Design / @delodesign

Design team: Arsenii Brodach, Anastasia Gulyaeva

Builder: Delo Design

Interior Design: Delo Design

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