A Small House for a Family with a Child: Incorporating Essential Elements and Creating a Neoclassical Interior Without a Designer

If you still think that owning a house is an unattainable dream requiring a huge budget that you cannot afford, then you are deeply mistaken. The protagonist of our story, Elizaveta @li.confetti, shared with us her journey of building her own house and explained why she and her husband decided to move from Moscow to the suburbs and how they managed to create a cozy and functional space within 68 square meters.

Why did you choose this location for building your house?
The decision to purchase a plot of land for construction was completely unplanned, and I first saw this place on the day of the transaction. At that time, we were preparing for our wedding, and my husband accidentally came across an urgent sale of a plot for a ridiculous price. We didn’t have time for long deliberations, so the purchase was spontaneous.

Nowadays, we wouldn’t rush like that and would have been more careful in choosing the plot. But if we had been so selective back then, perhaps our lives would have turned out differently, and we would still be living in a rented apartment.

You chose a life in the countryside. What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a house compared to a city apartment?
My husband and I have always wanted to live in the countryside because we both grew up in private houses in the Rostov region. We were accustomed to having vegetable and berry gardens, fruit trees in the backyard. We like being able to step into our own yard, sit in the gazebo with relatives and friends, barbecue, and basically do whatever we want whenever we want.

A few years before our wedding, we lived in a rented apartment in Moscow. During that time, we had the opportunity to compare and realize that life in an apartment, for us who were accustomed to living in a private house, was simply agonizing. That’s why we bought the plot almost without hesitation, rejoicing at the possibility of quickly building our own house. The pros and cons of city and rural life are subjective. The main thing is to understand what suits your soul better.

Tell us about the construction of your house.
This house was originally built by us as temporary housing. We wanted to move into it from the rented apartment and live there while the main two-story house, which we planned to place in the center of the plot, was being built. The temporary house we chose was called “Malysh” (Baby) with dimensions of 6×6 meters, both literally and figuratively, that was the model name given by the construction company.

We planned for it to become an excellent guest house in the future. But over time, our plans changed. We decided to cancel the construction of the large house on this plot. We decided that in the future, we would acquire another plot and build there more comprehensively. Until we find a suitable plot, we are living here. The phrase “there is nothing more permanent than temporary” is definitely true for us!

It has been 7 years since we moved, and during this time, the house has undergone significant transformations. It is a frame house, so initially, both the interior and exterior were covered with paneling. At that time, we liked Scandinavian interiors, and it was an ideal solution after the rented apartment – cheap and beautiful. After a couple of years, we got tired of the wooden walls, and after the birth of our daughter, we decided to expand. Therefore, we made the decision to carry out a major renovation throughout the entire house.