Not far from Krosno in Brzozow, Iza and Tomek have created their unique place on earth. They have only foxes, deer and birds as neighbors. The uniqueness of this place is evidenced not only by the surrounding nature, now in full bloom, but also by the culinary offer. The hosts serve vegan cuisine! If you are looking for a place where you will be accompanied by "holy tranquility" and the view from the window will stretch to a delightful cluster of green branches - Bird Radio Brzozow is your new destination.
To live in Brzozow is to live among apple blossoms, the sounds of the forest and tranquility. It's where Izabella and Tom live on their own terms, just as they like. It's here that age-old furniture is intertwined with contemporary design, but most of all strong colors! The orange, yellow and green painted furniture stands out against the thick wooden logs. There are cats and dogs lounging around lazily - this in one of their beds, this in the haystacks that serve as their beds. If that weren't enough, the hosts have a powerhouse of activities to offer those who enjoy the simple life. Herbal baths from locally harvested plants overlooking a green grove? Vegan treats to fill your belly? A bed in a clearing under a tree where you can lie back and just think? An atmospheric summer lounge in a barn? It's all at Bird Radio!
Basia Hyjek: How did your adventure begin?
Iza: I dreamed of running a small agritourism. I imagined a house under the forest, the smell of pastry welcoming guests. When Tom and I met, he very quickly decided that it was a good idea. so, as it happens with us, we immediately decided to start implementing it.
Our slogan is "It's time to breathe," and that's how we want guests to feel at our place
Photo by Kuba Ociepa
Basia: What were the most difficult moments?
Tom: We did 90% of all renovations ourselves, so I guess the hardest part was that we were very physically tired. We were chasing time because we were running out of savings, and the end of the work was still not in sight.
Iza: We decided to make every other finished room available for guests. So there was a period of time when, for example, we would finish a room for 2 weeks (that is, we would strip the floors, ceilings, etc., etc.), then receive guests, and as soon as they left, we would continue further renovations. The amazing thing was that some people booked rooms in advance "in the dark," in the sense that they weren't done yet, which we informed them about, and they decided anyway, because, as they wrote to us, based on other rooms they knew they would like. This was very nice and gave us strength in this worst of moments.
Basia: How do you want your guests to feel here? Where did you get the idea for such interior design?
Izabella and Tom: Our slogan is "It's time to breathe" and that's how we want our guests to feel. So that they can take a breath. If they want, they can go for a walk in the woods. If they want, they can stay out of the living room for a week and come to breakfast in their pyjamas. They can watch series on Netflix or read books in a hammock. They are just supposed to chill out.
We adhere to the DIY principle and are quite creative
photo by Kuba Ociepa
Sometimes people who work remotely come, and that's ok too. Working on a computer at a table in an orchard is probably much more pleasant for them than in an office. People who come to us tend to be characteristically similar, so if someone has a desire, they can chat, but also no one gets in anyone's way. Our space is arranged in such a way that you can really have privacy.
In addition to arranging all the rooms so that guests feel comfortable and cozy, we also have a guest lounge called "The Nest" and a summer lounge in the barn. Plus three terraces, hammocks, deck chairs. Various trees under which you can hide in the shade. There really is a lot to choose from. We also make sure that we are not crowded. We do not do extra beds. 8-10 people max.
And where did you get the idea for the decor? We don't know. We just have such a taste and not others. We follow the DIY principle and are quite creative. We don't like ready-made solutions. With all due respect to design in chain stores, which often tempts with cool forms, but we prefer eclecticism and uniqueness. The house as a whole is decorated the way we like it. And it is very cohesive. A barn with a summer lounge also came naturally to us, although we remember how surprised everyone was when we told them that we would make a living room in a crumbling barn with a big window, which Tom will island himself.
When we came up with a bathtub for herbal bath s with a built-in stove, we got several inquiries by email, from various guesthouses, asking us to send a plan for building the tub, and of course there is no plan, because we came up with it ourselves, and Tomek built it. All the spaces at our place were created naturally. We used things we had collected over several years. Tomek built the beds himself, some of the lamps as well.
When we came up with a bathtub for herbal baths with a built-in stove, we got several inquiries by email, from various guesthouses, asking us to send a plan for building the tub....
Photo by Kuba Ociepa
We rent rooms in the attic of the house where we also live ourselves. We have our own separate living room, decorated in the same style as the rest of the rooms. We also use the summer living room. We like to surround ourselves with nice things, only for us that doesn't mean antiques or works of art. For us, a nice thing can be a lamp found in a scrap yard with a piece of green cable attached to it. An old reproduction of a painting, but in a repainted yellow large frame. Or some old piece of fabric from which we sew pillowcases. Every now and then we change something. We redecorate. And that's probably how it will always be.
Basia: What was particularly important to you in creating this place?
Izabella and Tom: We often say, "Our home is us," and I think that was very important to us. To show what kind of people we are and what kind of guests we invite to us. So that we would feel natural and at ease around our guests and vice versa. And I think we've succeeded, because guests keep coming back to ans.
