Pretty, but the practical me sees one big downside. Whether painted white or left naturally brown, the top side of every log will become a big dust and dirt catcher, with the white washed logs showing it more obviously. I live in an all adobe home and although our adobe bricks don't extend out as much as those logs, they do catch the dust and dirt. Imagine having to dust every one of those logs at least once a week.

LOVE everything about that place!
Diane

It's lovely, but looks disappointingly like it belongs here. I notice that on HH Int'l, too, how much individuality has disappeared.

Omg, Robo, Pierre Berge's Dacha is so, so beautiful. I just spent 30 minutes staring at those photos. Do you think he would adopt me? :-)

You should definitely watch the documentary about him and Yves St. Laurent, but primarily about their stuff, called L'Amour Fou!

Apropos of nothing, I just noticed that PB's Dacha has a hydrangea walk with 60 varieties. Our gardener was just talking to me about places we need to plant, and i was thinking I want to plant only one thing, everywhere; hydrangeas. I have come to prefer a very large vase of one flower over arrangements, and now I am thinking of doing the same thing outdoors.

Not to mention I've spent so much on bulbs and they are so unsatisfying.

The log structure can be extremely expensive to assemble. I think you get a similar interior appearance with whitewashed ship lap in the interior.

Just my experience looking into log houses : I was dismayed that you can't paint the logs (moisture retention) so to get a true white wall you would need to drywall, and I wasn't 100 percent sold on the insulation qualities. I also think or at least suspect that unless they are common in your area, they take a hit on resale. Personally I would build a conventional house and clad it as Beverly suggested.

But if you love them, you love them. My husband LOVES log homes.

A hydrangea alley sounds lovely. I've heard of a similar idea with azalea, of course with roses, but never before with hydrangea. I have four kinds in my own little yard. maybe they are a little less popular en masse because they bloom a little later?

Addicted to hydrangea

Yes, you are all reminding me of the various issues and concerns with log homes! I think I was dazzled by seeing a log home interior I actually liked.

My DH wants a very small, original pioneer style, two-room plus loft, log cabin. He would be thrilled to just have a wood stove and outhouse. I would prefer something like this:

Orcas Island Cabin · More Info

Tallman Segerson Portfolio · More Info

Exterior · More Info

The reality is we will probably just continue to go camping on our little piece of land, and maybe our son can build a little cabin someday! Unless one of those Powerball tickets pays off :-)

Log homes are very common in Northern and central parts of Russia. Historically, the better-off homeowners usually covered the outside and inside of log houses with wood plank siding to reduce drafts and improve the looks.

It's still done today, and the plank siding can be applied in various patterns like chevron or checkerboard. My parents' neighbors at their dacha near Moscow have a log home with wood plank siding on the outside done in a chevron pattern. They built the house in the 60's I think.

In fact, the shiplap walls in Beverlyfla's photos are very similar to what you'd see in a typical dacha house. Often the walls are painted or covered with clear varnish. This is considered a "cheapo" finish. Sometimes there would be plywood or orgalite (high-density fiberboard that looks like very dense cardboard) nailed over and covered with wallpaper, which is perceived as a better quality finish.

Pierre Berge's "dacha" is what is typically called a "teremok" style in Russia - a fantasy gingerbread-house-like style often used in pseudo-historical settings in Russian movies for children. Not a real dacha or traditional Russian log house (izba).

This contemporary house featured in the Russian edition of Architectural Digest is built in the style of an old Russian country estate mansion from Anton Chekhov's era. The decor alludes to the late 19th-early 20th century. The veranda with large windows that serves as a dining room is a classic feature of Russian dachas and country estates. Most of the furniture is authentic antiques from the 18th century to the early 20th century.
Russian country estate house

Some Russian historical dacha and country estate houses featured in AD (Russian edition) :

Boris Pasternak's dacha . He wrote "Doctor Zhivago" there.

Leo Tolstoy's country estate

Old dachas from the 30's-40's-50's Those are dachas that belonged to various Russian architects and artists

Ilya Repin's dacha "Penaty" The famous Russian painter Ilya Repin lived in this house near St. Petersburg in the early 20th century

Thanks for the eye candy! Great fodder for country estate daydreams. The keyhole dormer with little sitting area was amazing.

mtn, which type of hydrangeas are you thinking about planting? We have a garden near us, donated by the Aldridge family that was their 30 acre home. He discovered and patented the Snowflake Hydrangea. Aldridge Gardens There is hardly a home in our area that doesn't have some type of hydrangea planted. The woods are full of them also. Absolutely gorgeous. I'm partial to the oak leaf hydrangea, rather than lacecap or mopheads.

Robo, here's one more contemporary take on the dacha style for you: a dacha on the Oka River

The designer captured several typical features of today's middle-class Russian dachas:

- Furnishings are a mix of periods and styles; a dacha often serves as a depository for old but still useable furniture and appliances from the main residence in the city;

- Very basic kitchen; most Russians don't spend much on dacha kitchens;

- Living room is low priority since dacha life is all about the outdoors; many Russian families don't even bring a TV to their dachas for the summer;

- Dining room is important because a dacha is often shared by an extended family, think a Thanksgiving-type gathering every weekend in summer;

- Low clutter since Russians are reluctant to keep lots of stuff in a house that is used during warm season only (typically 3-5 months a year). Burglaries are a concern in many areas. The valuable stuff like nice furniture, fancy decor, pricey electronics and expensive appliances is for city residences. If a new piece is needed, IKEA is the answer. Many Russians consider IKEA too primitive for a city apartment but ok for a dacha.