РУEN
Veneered kitchen volume with a backlit stone display at the apartment entrance

Name of the project

Veneer and Stone

Main character

Private client

Setting

Sosnovy Bor residential complex, Moscow, 2026

Apartment at Sosnovy Bor

Overview

Veneer and Stone is built around calm architectural planes, the warm graphic quality of timber, and the composed texture of natural stone. The project follows a clear logic: the entrance is lined with veneered panels, while the living areas retain a quieter, lighter, and more even background. This division works both visually and in daily use. Materials at the entrance must withstand a more active routine while remaining part of one coherent architectural image.

Material transitions are resolved carefully, without fragmenting the space. Junctions are designed so that the interior reads as one continuous sequence, while timber across the panels, doors, and integrated furniture feels like a single family of tones. The apartment therefore retains a sense of composure: its materials do not compete, but reinforce a shared measure.

  1. Living room with warm timber planes, soft seating, and full-height curtains
  2. Low media console and sculptural armchairs in the softly lit living room
  3. Dining group beside the open living room and timber kitchen volume
  4. Veneered kitchen volume with a backlit stone display at the apartment entrance
  5. Living room transition framed by a continuous timber wall and local lighting
  6. Entrance niche with an upholstered bench integrated into the timber panelling

Particular attention is given to controlling visual noise. Glass, open shelving, and integrated lighting are used only where they genuinely add depth and strengthen the composition. Most storage remains concealed, allowing the interior to stay ordered rather than becoming a display of possessions. This principle is especially important in the living room: illuminated showcases provide a light decorative accent, while closed cabinets and drawers support everyday storage.

  1. Timber-panelled corridor with a narrow illuminated display niche
  2. Apartment corridor with flush timber doors and a view into the dressing room
  3. Open wardrobe with organised shelving and concealed storage
  4. Home office with a wall of illuminated shelving and a compact sofa
  5. Bedroom with a layered grey bed, timber wall, and soft window light
  6. Bedroom console beneath an abstract artwork and a warm wall light
  7. Stone-lined shower room with integrated timber storage
  8. Wide stone vanity with a mirrored cabinet and integrated lighting
  9. Laundry room with stacked appliances and stone worktop

The television zone is absorbed into the main architectural plane rather than allowed to dominate. The screen is recessed into the panel composition, so it reads as part of the architecture instead of a separate technical object. Soft backlighting adds depth and gathers the room into a coherent evening scene. The dining area and kitchen continue the same approach through durable materials, clear storage, calm furniture forms, and two layers of light: one for atmosphere and texture, another for focused work.

The entrance hall and corridor form a precise, composed episode with generous storage, a mirror, console, and bench. The full-height wardrobe is designed as a complete system, organised around order and everyday ease. In the study, bedroom, bathrooms, and laundry, the same system becomes quieter and more tactile. Timber, stone, calm surfaces, concealed storage, and local light create an environment in which practicality never disrupts architectural coherence.

Engineering supports the same sense of precision. Supply-and-extract ventilation serves both shared and utility areas while minimising its impact on ceiling height in living rooms, with air distributed through linear slots. The lighting design preserves clean ceiling planes through precise recessed fittings and a broad range of local scenes using furniture lighting, wall lights, floor lamps, and table lamps. The result is held together by one clear system — material, luminous, and functional.

Other case studies

The name Zariza

Engraving of historic Tsaritsyn by Adam Olearius, 1636

In 1663, a book by Adam Olearius, a German scholar and secretary to the Holstein embassy to Russia and Persia, included a plate with six engraved views of Russian cities.

Tetus, Samara, Soratof, Zariza, Tzornogar, Kusmamedianski. Olearius passed Tsaritsyn on 6 September 1636.

Partners and clients sometimes jokingly associate our name with royalty. We do not mind, although for us it is rooted above all in the history of a place.

The city’s name is associated with the Tsaritsa River. One explanation traces it to the Turkic “sary-su”, meaning “yellow river”; another links it to “yellow sand”.

The fortress in the engraving stands at a meeting of currents: goods and embassies travelled along the river, and routes crossed here. This image resonates with us. Design and implementation also form a system of many factors, whose parts need to work together.

The studio’s name is tied to the history of Tsaritsyn, a city at the confluence of the Volga and Tsaritsa rivers. Our first office opened here, near the Architecture University. The studio began work on 21 December 2012, the day a 5,125-year cycle of the Maya calendar came to a close.

“Art” was added later, when we registered the domain. The name retains our connection to our place of origin, while the studio’s work has long reached beyond its geography.

Brand Identity

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