This book opens the door of Russian dwellings to reveal the centuries of collecting, decorating and designing that have given the Russian home the variety and beauty of myriad cultures and styles. Over 300 photographs guide the reader through hallways decorated with traditional hearths, Russian stoves, samovars and mystic shrines of icons and through the studies kitchens and parlours of artists such as Tolstoy, Pasternak, Repin and Chekhov.