Studio: Prodesi/Domesi
Author: Klára Vratislavová, lead architect, interior design
Pavel Horák, lead architect
Social media: @prodesi_domesi, @domesi.cz
Design team: Jan Švarc
Project location: Vranov nad Dyjí
Project country: Czech Republic
Completion year: 2021
Built-up Area: 43 m²
Usable Floor Area: 65 m²
Photographer: BoysPlayNice
Collaborator: Building company – Domesi
The small cottage, concealed with sunburned larch planks, located in the greenery above the Vranov Dam, provides surprisingly big interior space. Not only the owner’s family but also visitors can enjoy it. It provides plenty of space for evening gatherings as well as for sleeping. There are inconspicuous storage spaces in every corner of the house and everything has its place just like in a cabin of a ship.
The interior of the house is interconnected, but at the same time, the attic provides plenty of privacy. The interior surrounded by spruce wood offers a cozy refuge, whereas large, glass panes overlook breath-taking water surfaces.
In the beginning, there was a legacy – the investor acquired a small cottage on the bank of the Vranov Dam from his grandfather. He approached Prodesi/Domesi with a specific assignment – he wanted a wood cottage built on the existing foundations which would have everything that today’s modern timber buildings allow for, and which would become a comfortable haven for his family on weekends and holidays. The architects had to deal with the forest land and also with the floor plan of the original cottage they had to stick to while constructing the new timber construction.
As the architect, Klára Vratislavová says: “The construction of the house went hand in hand with its interior design so that we could make good use of every inch of space that the original grandfather’s cottage had set for us.”
Finally, they were able to fit in such a small place with dimensions 5 x 8,5 m a dining room, living room with a remarkable view of the water level, spacious entrance hall with a bench for changing, bathroom, separate toilet, pantry, and utility room. Upstairs they created a larger and smaller bedroom and a dressing room.
“We took a reverse approach when designing the upstairs. First, we created the necessary spaces for bedrooms and after that, we “cut off” the exceeding part of the roof, so that the house would be as small as possible. Our goal was to design a building that humbly integrates into the green slope above the water with mostly modest old cottages,” adds Klára Vratislavová.
A cabin on a ship was an important inspiration evoked by nearby water surface, especially when designing the interior – everything in this small room is practically arranged, using up literally every inch of the space. The contrast between the exterior and the interior is also impressive.
From the outside, the house is purely functional and modest as for the used material. By contrast, inside it is modern, spacious, and thought-out to the last detail.
