The entire complex was created by me completely from scratch — quite literally on an empty site. First, the area was cleared, and then all the main stages of construction followed: the foundation, the rubble-stone masonry, the walls, the roof structure, and of course the stove complex itself.
This project made extensive use of artificially aged wood elements using the so-called brushing technique. In this process, the soft wood fibres are mechanically removed, giving the surface a stronger texture and a more expressive character.
The complex consists of three main elements: a cooking stove with a cooktop, a hot-smoking chamber, and a grill.
The stove was built from hyper-pressed concrete brick. The inner lining was, of course, made of refractory fireclay brick in order to protect the structure from high temperatures and direct exposure to fire.
Another distinctive feature of this project was that this was the first time I made a separate masonry brick lintel to span the firebox opening. This block was assembled from several dozen standard bricks, filled with mortar, and tightened with metal threaded rods. The span of this opening was one and a half metres.
Later, I used this method in other installations as well, and in practice it proved to be highly reliable and load-bearing.
Working on this project was interesting not only from a professional point of view, but also a genuine human enrichment. The client was an intelligent, energetic, and lively woman. Her whole family also left a lasting impression on me: educated, interesting, and thoughtful people with whom it was not only pleasant to work, but also simply enjoyable to talk. I especially remember the evening conversations with the client’s father. We spoke about life, about his path, about his fate, and about many other things. Encounters like these gave the work a special atmosphere and a human warmth of its own.
This complex is located in the countryside not far from the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.