Its design was prepared by NOKE Architects. It is colourful and you will find many unobvious solutions. The dream summer house was built by a couple of architecture- and design-conscious investors: Bovska, that is Magda Grabowska-Wacławek and Grzegorz Wacławek. The house was built in the green scenery of the Family Allotment Gardens in Warsaw. The owners can therefore enjoy the greenery, just a few metro stations away from the centre.
The investors know how great the power lies in art. Magda is a singer, dancer, performer and visual artist. Grzegorz is the founder of Animoon studio, author of internationally award-winning animations. They live in Warsaw, but dreamed of a green oasis close to home. The choice fell on the Family Allotment Garden (Rodzinny Ogród Działkowy) located at the intersection of Śródmieście and Żoliborz. This location has plenty of advantages. It is quiet, green, and at the same time you can see the residential and office skyscrapers in the background.
Magda and Grzegorz invited the NOKE Architects team to furnish their space. The architects paid attention to every detail. The original red gate with a circular lamp was created according to a drawing by Magda herself. The central part featured an image of her beloved dog, a female named Lusia. The gate is all the more significant because it is the only element of the establishment visible from the alley. The house, deliberately hidden, only gradually emerges from the greenery when you enter the garden… It is a fairytale landscape!
Magda and Grzegorz and I have known each other for a long time and have had the opportunity to work together before. A few years ago, we designed for them the very bold, wildly colourful Animoon office on Chmielna Street. Now they too, expressive and aesthetically daring, have been a major inspiration for us,” recalls Karol Pasternak.
The appearance of the cottage was influenced by the plot. It is slightly larger than standard, but has an almost triangular shape. According to the regulations in force in RODs, no structures permanently connected to the ground or exceeding 35 square metres can be erected. The architects wrote the new bungalow into these restrictions. How did it turn out?
Crossing the pink gate, we find ourselves on a path of red stones. It leads into the depths. The path is accompanied by a luminous art installation that illuminates the path hidden among lush trees and shrubs. The cottage itself turns its back on the entrance. This is a thoughtful intervention. Over the years, it will be covered with plants. The front door has also been concealed.
The only thing that suggests where to look for the secret entrance is the three steps cast in coloured concrete, which look like an abstract garden sculpture,” smiles Piotr Maciaszek.
One step further on, it turns out that the summer house opens up to its surroundings with large glazing and an extensive terrace with a pergola. The vines overgrowing it are already 80 years old.
We tried to keep all the greenery we found on the plot. We didn’t cut down any trees, and we consider our biggest success to be saving this age-old vine. It was disentangled from the old trellis and moved to the new one,” says Karol Pasternak.
Looking at the photos, you won’t find evenly trimmed grass, artificially formed greenery… Nature rules on the plot, and the house modestly tries to make itself comfortable around the lush neighbourhood. An important element of the building is a concrete table immersed in the greenery. The large garden furniture was designed together with the floor. Here, in the shade of an old cherry tree, Magda and Gregory enjoy sitting down to breakfast and lunch with friends.
The bold interior colours are impressive. The designers divided the cottage space into a living area with a kitchen and a work area for Magda and Grzegorz. The cottage has a bedroom alcove and a bathroom. The compact spaces with large-format glazing connect with the nature of the garden. On sunny days, they can be extended. Then both work and relaxation move onto the terrace.
The walls and ceilings of the cottage are covered with plywood coloured with natural, ecological oils. The wall parallel to the glazing strip is a raspberry shade. The same colour in many variations appears, among others, on window frames, curtains, kitchen fittings and many pieces of furniture and accessories. It is balanced by delicate wood tones, passing into the soft beige of fabrics or the broken grey of the floor. They harmonise with the organic forms of the furnishings.
In the vicinity of the kitchen, the attention is drawn to the semi-circular window. – In every project, we try to wink at the viewer,” winks Karol Pasternak. Here, it is enough to open the shutter to gain an additional view of the garden. It is a functional and artistic element at the same time. Art built into the wall.
Finally, the most impressive. The summerhouse has a bathroom, which is designed in a red chimney. It protrudes above the green body of the cottage and turns out to be an oval capsule with a shower, washbasin and WC. At night, the room is illuminated by small spherical lamps and their light is reflected in the shimmering glaze of the cobalt tiles and in the panes of mirrors. In place of a ceiling, the architects designed a glass roof. At night, you can shower while admiring the sky above the capital.
photos: Piotr Maciaszek
design: NOKE Architects
project: summerhouse | Warsaw | Eclecticism | curiosities | whiteMAD on Instagram