While making Eskimo anti-sun glasses (see “M-K” No. 4-2025), I delved into studying the culture and traditions of Arctic peoples. Nomadic conditions and the harsh climate left their mark on every area of their life and activity. Nothing superfluous — only what is needed! Dwellings, clothing, tools, and household items are all very functional and Read more…
“The saw grew white-hot from the work!” wrote V. Mayakovsky in his poem “Who to Be?” Meanwhile, heating of a cutting tool first of all means that it has gone dull. In this case a carpenter, as in the old days, takes a three-square file (a triangular file, in modern terminology) and sharpens the teeth Read more…
Decorating a home interior — whether a country house or a city apartment — always calls for inventiveness! Use your imagination, and even the most ordinary, discarded items can become original decorative elements. Here, for example, is a coffee table that uses an old cart wheel as its base. We will not dwell in detail Read more…
A torn-out magazine page with a photo of a neat little table was lying on a park bench I sat down to rest on. The table — or rather its design — caught my interest (in the past I used to make furniture both for myself and to order). The photograph, like the table, had Read more…
With the approach of the summer-cottage season, this bed in disassembled form can be taken to your country plot even by suburban train or local bus: its parts are easy to dismantle and reassemble. The bed consists of a headboard and a footboard, two side rails, two support panels that serve as legs, and two Read more…
Any garden or household plot, as a rule, yields a return and delights its owner when there is a sufficient amount of… water. If there is a natural source nearby or a central water supply, the irrigation problem becomes simpler, but in most cases one cannot even rely on a source. In a hot summer, Read more…
For small apartments, a balcony is a substantial addition to the living space, but it is neither all-season nor all-weather. To provide those conditions, the balcony must be protected from precipitation and wind — that is, at least glazed, which was not the case in houses built in the Soviet era. Fitting out balconies at Read more…
The various curtains and drapes popular with homemakers on windows and interior doors, consisting of two sliding panels, are often hung for greater decorative effect on wooden rods with large rings. If the material used is dense and heavy, opening and closing such curtains by hand is not so easy, and with abrupt efforts the Read more…
Needless to say, it is pleasant to warm yourself on a damp or cold day by the home hearth (whether a Dutch stove or a European fireplace), and to admire it as well, if it is skillfully made. A Russian stove is also fine — heat-retaining and multifunctional. But it requires a lot of space, Read more…
When making a hallway coat rack cabinet, I proceeded from the layout features of an old-built apartment. In my case, in particular, opposite the entrance door there is a door to a storage room, so the cabinet in plan has angled side cuts that allow the doors to open freely. The dimensions are given for Read more…
