See How 3 Families Live in These Multigenerational Homes
Photo:
Courtesy of Houzz
Dacha for 3 Generations Outside Moscow
Who lives here: Elena Nikolayevna and Yuri Valentinovich Sheremet, both 61; daughter Alina, 27, and husband Kirill Gronskie, 29, and their infant daughter, Alisa.
Location: Velegozh, Tula region of Russia
The house: 1,722 square feet (160 square meters) plus a terrace
Family occupations: Elena is a homemaker and Yuri Valentinovich is head of a building company; Alina is a marketing specialist and Kirill is a sales chief.
How long they’ve lived together: “Our dream of having a dacha started with a painting,” Elena says. “We love rare interior design objects and never skip a flea market or a fair. Once, we bought a rural landscape painting with roosters from Mozhaisk [an area near Moscow] and we got so hooked by the lovely landscape that we started looking for a real dacha, a typical second home in Russia. We found a great piece of land in a new cottage settlement called Velegozh and we loved it instantly, despite — or maybe thanks to — its remote location: Zaokskiy district is a clean and green zone.
“According to the builder’s idea, the whole settlement is made of identical pine wood houses, and it’s the owners who give them individuality. We liked the idea of having a house in the woods; the plot was full of young, green pine trees. These pines were the inspiration for choosing the green color of the window frames. We love the idea of making nature closer to home, even with the colors. We added the terrace on our own, in order to have a place for open-air family gatherings.”
What they like doing together: “There are many places of interest and entertainment close to the settlement, from the Dvoryaninovo museum-estate to the horse club, and the ancient Russian town of Tarusa is nearby,” Elena says. “There is a barbecue spot on site, and the favorite place to gather with friends and neighbors is our terrace. We invite them to try some delicious food cooked using fresh vegetables. I’m growing a very productive edible garden on a plot right here.”
The good and bad of living under one roof: “We only see the advantages of having different generations living together,” Elena says. “It’s a great chance to spend time with the people you love, invite some friends over, relax in the countryside. The older-generation members are now living in the country all year round, and the children are using every chance to get away from the city. And if anyone in the family should want some solitude, they all have their special place in the house, designed for their taste and needs.”
