Modern house
Katarzyna: The house is modern, but also strongly rooted in historical designs, for example by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Beata: The house, because of the materials used, is quite innovative and ecological, but with its massing it resembles as much as possible the old days and the designs of one of the most important modernist designers of the 20th century.
Katarzyna: Weren't you worried that the forest would overshadow the house too much?
Beata: I have always dreamed of a house in a forest, I love nature, trees and nature at my fingertips. This gives the house a unique atmosphere. As for the sunlight in the house, there is no shortage of windows, in addition, a skylight of sixteen square meters is installed in the roof, which strongly illuminates the building.
first floor plan
drawing: 81.WAW.PL
floor plan
pic: 81.WAW.PL
Catherine: What task did you set the architects, what were they supposed to design? What functions was the house supposed to accommodate?
Beata: The house was created out of love for art, for beauty, for creation. We were fascinated by modern designs that allow you to function completely differently. In addition to the basic rooms, such as the kitchen, dining room, living room and bedrooms, we cared a lot about outdoor relaxation areas, for example, a place where you can have breakfast - thus the terrace by the kitchen on the east side, a place where you can relax outside while watching TV - hence the terrace by the living room, and a place for a summer kitchen, barbecue. The house offers enormous possibilities, you can create unique spaces, for example, a mezzanine with a huge skylight, and customize the rooms to suit your individual needs. We wanted the house to be year-round, to be our relaxation zone after hard work, and to additionally accommodate functions we didn't have in our previous apartment - a study for work, large dressing rooms and a spa relaxation area with a sauna. It was the sauna, among other things, that inspired the body of the building and the facade. I am referring to the well-known sauna by Jacuzzi - SASHA, which is a beautiful piece of equipment, a work of art in itself - black and wood, drawn, classically beautiful. I showed Ms. Ania the photos, and I think this directed the architects a bit.
We wanted to be closer to nature in this house, to be able to enjoy life better thanks to the extended body, terraces and various outdoor spaces. Contrary to appearances, the house is not big. It looks gigantic, but the living area is less than three hundred square meters. There is, however, a big difference between the living area and the total area. Terraces and various kinds of overhangs make the building large. I wanted the house to be small, but at the same time look very big - this is what I asked the architects to do, and they succeeded brilliantly. When it's cold, you need to heat, when it's important for the house to be cheap to run, that's what it is. On the other hand, in spring and summer, when the nice weather comes, I open all the windows and gain a second amount of space - thanks to the terraces, all the rooms in the house are enlarged.
In the foreground, an all-glass corner in the dining room, and in the background, a covered terrace on the side of the main entrance
Photo: Bartek Zaranek © 81.WAW.PL
Katarzyna: What was the cooperation with the architects like? How long did the design process take?
Beata: I was in several offices, but I had the impression that the architects did not listen to me, instead they talked a lot about themselves. This gave me a lot to think about. That's why I was looking for someone who would listen to us. We had quite specific expectations. I found the architects from the 81.WAW.PL studio as the fourth or fifth design office. I immediately liked them very much - young, enthusiastic about the plot and our vision of the project. We quickly found a common language. Of course, we had previously familiarized ourselves with the office's previous projects, so we knew that they create cool, modern, tasteful projects. Our project was created quite quickly, we had a similar sense of aesthetics. We clearly defined our needs, sent a lot of photos with inspiration and at the next meeting we were already presented with a conceptual design, almost final, only with a different elevation.
Catherine: Is the final design an expansion of the original vision, or was something new, perhaps surprising, born in the course of the design?
Beata: The house was quite well thought out. We still analyzed various issues many times before making the final decision to build. Rather, I wouldn't change much, and - by all means - the house is a fulfillment of our expectations. This is what a tailor-made house is all about - that it is designed and tailored to the individual needs and requirements of future residents, something that building a ready-made house or apartment does not give us. We are extremely happy here.
Catherine: You mentioned that the house is ecological. Was ecology important to you?
Beata: For us, these are quite important issues. We didn't want the house to be saturated with Styrofoam, paper and foils or artificial facade elements. My husband ordered special Heluz hollow blocks in the Czech Republic, which already have insulation in them and stand out for their very good performance; the house is not a thermos, it breathes. The windows are triple-glazed, also with very good parameters. This makes the house economical, gas or electricity bills are not higher than in a large apartment or condo.
The terrace has been carved out of the outdoor space - sheltered from the top with the use of a partial canopy, and on the sides - with the help of an ivy-covered curtain-support wall, the wall of the house (garage wing) and the glazed wall of the main body of the house
Photo: Bartek Zaranek © 81.WAW.PL
Katarzyna: How would you situate your house against the background of what is currently being built in Poland? Have you observed any trends?
Beata: When we started designing, such buildings - "other" - were not many. Young architectural firms were just beginning to develop. We have been living here for four years, and during this period I have observed similar buildings being built. Individual projects have begun to become more popular. I see that people are eager to build something new and something different. When we were still living in Warsaw, we cared about having not only a nice inside, but that what is on the outside should also fit us. You can see that young people are choosing interesting, modern designs, they are no longer building mansions popular in the 1990s. I'm very happy about that.
Katarzyna: So you don't mind that the Forest House is looked up to by others?
Beata: Sometimes it annoys me, because I know how much trouble it cost us to find the right architects and then the right contractors. We learned from our mistakes. Our house is a reflection of our dreams, visions, years of thought, travels we've taken and the hard work of architects. When someone copies it, they are, in a sense, copying us, and that doesn't make sense, because customized projects are characterized precisely by being tailored to the needs of specific clients.
interviewed: {tag:AuthorAiB}
Architects' answers to 10 questions:
Anna Paszkowska-Grudziąż - briefly on the subject Rafał Grudziąż - briefly on the subject.
