A house beneath the pine trees. They built it near the forest

·17 August 2026

The house on the edge of the forest, designed by Klangor Studio, was built on a plot surrounded by tall pine trees. The architects treated the landscape as the central element of the residents’ everyday experience, creating a building that allows them to observe their surroundings from various heights and angles.

The inspiration came from forest observation points – simple structures that allow the landscape to be viewed selectively, depending on the observer’s position. This approach was translated into the building’s architecture, in which each of the main spaces has been deliberately oriented towards a specific section of the forest. The living room opens up widely to the surroundings thanks to an almost entirely glazed façade, whilst the parents’ bedroom and the children’s rooms each have their own views of the landscape, which change with the time of day and how the interiors are used.

Open-plan interiors

The ground floor forms a distinct, horizontal base for the building. The open-plan space comprising the living room, dining room and kitchen has been designed as a single interior, with the garden and the forest serving as its natural extension. Circular concrete structural columns have been positioned in front of the glass façade. Their regular arrangement introduces an additional layer between the interior and the landscape, organising the view without limiting its depth.

The most distinctive features of the house are the two volumes with gable roofs, intersecting at right angles. Their mutual orientation has made it possible to orient the main rooms towards different parts of the woodland and to vary the way light enters the interiors throughout the day. As a result, the residents can experience the surroundings both from the living room, nestled amongst the tree trunks, and from the first floor, where the perspective shifts to the height of the pine tree crowns.

Inspired by nature

The composition is complemented by a limited palette of materials. The ground floor is finished in graphite-coloured render, whilst the first floor is clad in grooved timber. The juxtaposition of these two layers echoes the pine trees surrounding the plot – their trunks are darker and rougher at the base, gradually transitioning to warmer, cinnamon-coloured shades higher up. This is not a literal transposition of nature onto the façade, but a subtle use of colour contrast as a design impulse that strengthens the building’s relationship with its surroundings.

Architecture as a tool for observation

The building’s design stems from a desire to create a place that offers the opportunity to live close to nature. The architecture does not attempt to imitate or subjugate its surroundings – it creates a series of spaces from which the landscape can be experienced in various ways. Large-format glazing frames successive sections of the forest, whilst the varying room heights allow the pine trees to be observed both at ground level and from the height of their crowns. It is precisely this act of observation that has become the primary tool shaping this project, defining both the functional layout and the form of the building.

About the practice:

Klangor Studio is an architectural practice specialising in the design of bespoke single-family homes and premium-class residences. We also design multi-family buildings, commercial premises and interiors, guiding clients through the entire process – from the initial concept to completion.

The studio was founded in 2021 by Mateusz Florczak, though its origins date back to 2018. We operate from offices in Warsaw and the Beskid Żywiecki region, carrying out projects throughout Poland. Each project is developed individually, responding to the context of the site, the client’s needs and the character of the plot. In our work, we pay particular attention to proportions, materials and timeless spatial solutions.

design: Klangor Studio

team: Mateusz Florczak, Magdalena Cichosz, Kacper Radulski, Przemysław Spyra

structural engineering: Samborscy Design Studio

photographs: Robert Chmara www.robertchmara.com