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Architects: CUBE.A
- Area: 133 m²
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Alexandr Hudeček
Text description provided by the architects. The approach to the renovation of a traditional cottage in the Jizera Mountains was, from the very beginning, determined by the need to reconcile certain design requirements, the genius loci of a mountain village, and the investor’s contemporary lifestyle. The design was created around three determining elements: the shape and orientation of the building, situated on the boundary of the property; direct contact between the house and the street; and the lime tree growing in the yard, the tallest of its kind in the whole Jizera Mountains.
Since the house is in close contact with its surroundings, the use of a standard floor plan, situating the living space on the ground floor and the bedrooms in the attic, is a good solution, reflecting the dichotomy between sociability and openness on the one hand, and the need for intimacy and relaxation on the other. New additions replacing the original entrance and the glassmaker’s workshop (whose chimney is now used for a smokehouse with outdoor seating around it) help in structuring the outdoor spaces.
These include a hidden, south-facing terrace behind the kitchen, which offers views of the valley, and the yard between the house and the woodshed, divided into several spaces with different functions: a front garden, a bench under the lime tree, and outdoor seating around the smokehouse. The new dormer windows in the attic, inspired by the tradition of local architectural forms, frame the views of the valley and of the lime tree branches. In the future, another outdoor space will be added: a hideaway, situated between two rocks on a forested slope behind the house.
The overall appearance of the house – both indoors and outdoors – is sober, in line with the investor’s taste. The color palette ranges from dark grey used on the roof, through the greyish tones of aging wood on the façade to the simple, yet beautiful tones of the concrete and stone walls. The house has opened itself to dialogue with its surroundings, to light and to views of the majestic lime tree and the breath-taking mountain scenery.
