Traditional Ukrainian House: Renders of the “Hata”
THE ROOKIES AWARDS 2025 DRAFT SELECTION
This is my Ukrainian traditional house, or "Hata," environment project in Unreal Engine 5. It’s a game-ready, real-time modular environment. I designed the house as a modular kit, using trim sheets and tileable materials, and created all the unique assets and textures. You’ll find a complete breakdown of the modular kit, materials, and assets in Part 2.
Everything in the scene, except for the foliage and decals, was made by me. The foliage and decals are from fab.com and textures.com.
This is my final project for my BA in Creative Technologies and Digital Art at Pulse College, and it has been my passion for the last five months. I poured all my knowledge of environment art, traditional art, and Ukrainian history and architecture into this.
This project is incredibly important to me because it’s a way to show the beauty and culture of Ukraine, especially when many people only see my country through the lens of war. By creating this scene, I’m able to preserve and share Ukraine’s traditions and history in a digital format, giving people around the world a chance to learn more about its culture. You can read more about different elements of a traditional Ukrainian household under the pictures.
I’m extremely grateful for the help and advice I received from my college, mentor and amazing professionals in the game industry!
Hata was typically quite small and compact, within 35 to 60 square meters. These houses typically had one main room (svitlytsia) where cooking, eating, and sleeping took place, sometimes a smaller entrance room (sienia) and a pantry.
Fan Fact: The font used in this video is called "Kyiv Region" after the capital of Ukraine, where it was created. The font is loosely based on various classic/historical Ukrainian fonts.
Traditionally, the oven (fireplace) was the "heart" of the house. The oven itself and the walls in the hata were often decorated with painted ornaments. Style and techniques vary drastically around the country.
A baby's cradle would be hung close to the parents and to the heat source.
Due to the size of the hata, all spaces around the house were used for storage. Moreover, the house usually had just a few windows to preserve heat during the cold months.
"Skrynya" or table-chest was one of the main storage places for clothes, accessories and even household items. The top surface of the lid was used as an extra table.
Traditional cutlery was usually made out of clay and adorned with ornaments. Uniquely "doughnut" shaped jug "kumanec" was used for storing strong spirits.
Pottery and ceramics were often handmade and hand-painted with vibrant folk motifs like spirals, plants, birds, and suns. These patterns weren’t purely decorative; they were symbols tied to beliefs about protection, fertility, and well-being.
Wealthier families were able to afford multiple sets of hand-made ornamental dishware that would become a prized possession and often displayed on the open shelves around the house.
Wooden spoons were essential everyday tools, especially in rural households. In Western Ukraine, spoon-making became a craft of its own. Some spoons had zoomorphic or geometric carvings, specifically ones made as gifts or for festive use.
The God’s corner was one of the most sacred and symbolically important parts of ahouse. It was usually located in the eastern corner of the main room, where the sun rises, symbolising life and hope. This corner held icons and embroidered towels.