The grey house is located in Mikolow in the Silesian Voivodeship. It was designed by Ewa Prejs. The house has 240 square metres and is distinguished by a sizable garden with a swimming pool. The simple form of the building with a pitched roof is intended to ensure that the house will still look good even many years from now.
The house is located in an urbanised neighbourhood, but with access to natural greenery. The householders will still be able to enjoy the natural view of the wide-spreading fields for a long time to come. In such a location, the architect designed a grey house with a minimalist aesthetic. She opted for a simple body, unobtrusive yet dynamic. The effect was achieved by moving the two storeys in relation to each other, which gave the building a light appearance.
I wanted the house not to dominate the landscape, but to blend in with it. This does not mean that it is completely invisible – thanks to its simple shape and strong facade lines, the house stands out from the surrounding buildings,” admits Ewa Prejs.
The building was created for a young couple who wanted to be close to the city centre while at the same time having contact with nature. The plot adjoins a local road to the north, which is why the entrance and driveway to the plot were created in this area. A path starts here, which runs along the entire side elevation of the building all the way to the garden, connecting the entrance to the plot and the entrance to the house itself with the terrace, pool and garden in the southern part.
As the land slopes naturally towards the east, the part of the plot located along the western side elevation, between the fence and the path by the house is located about one metre higher. It is planted with shrubs and herbs, thus providing a natural green barrier from the west, adds Ewa Prejs.
The southern part of the plot is occupied by a swimming pool and a garden, where the investors created a real green enclave with carefully selected species of herbs, mosses, grasses but also with trees that grew on the plot and were preserved during the construction works.
What does the interior look like? In the entrance area, next to the vestibule, a guest bathroom and a guest room are located, which are separated from the main communication and living area. The living area consists of the living room and the kitchen, which are separated from the entrance area by a glass door. The living room is the heart of the house, with an area of 50 square metres. Here you can relax by the fireplace on a comfortable modular sofa. The fully glazed south wall opens onto the garden.
The interior is kept in a modern style broken by the investors’ favourite art collections. Already from the ground floor, one can see the library located on the ground floor and the glass-enclosed study – both accessible via a light footbridge to which an open staircase runs along the living room wall.
Behind the library is the private area of the householders – a master bedroom with dressing rooms and a spacious, comfortable bathroom. The living space on the ground floor, despite the open plan, has been skilfully divided into clearly defined zones. A free-standing fireplace visually separates the kitchen and dining area from the living room, which has direct access to the terrace.
The spacious kitchen with dining area is equipped with high built-in units and a free-standing island, where a large dining table is centrally placed. Both these areas benefit from natural light – indirect from the terrace and direct, thanks to windows placed in both side walls.
I am very pleased that the shape of the house and the internal layout of the rooms have inspired the investors to further create a place to live, a place that satisfies them and that is constantly changing with them. The garden, which is the creation of the investors, teems with colour and life as the seasons go by, attracting the surrounding animals and providing the homeowners with an essential dose of contact with nature,” concludes the designer.
design: EWA PREJS USŁUGI PROJEKTOWE(https://ewaprejs.pl)
team: EWA PREJS, MACIEJ PUCHER
photos: Simple Angles
Also read: single-family house | Minimalism | Facade | Pool | Featured | whiteMAD on Instagram
