As if drawn by hand

Simplicity characterises both the placement and the design of this house in a Slovak wine-growing region.
Inspired by nearby farmsteads, the Slovak architecture team Mikulaj & Mikulajová distributed the programme across three narrow, elongated buildings with pitched roofs rather than concentrating the functions within a single structure. The farm building and the main house are positioned with a slight offset, while the children's house is rotated by 90 degrees.
 
This arrangement establishes different relationships with the surrounding landscape and creates a series of outdoor spaces, including a south-facing garden overlooking the vineyard, an east-facing garden facing the forest, and an entrance courtyard with a pergola and covered terrace. The buildings function as independent structures and can be adapted for alternative uses or divided into two separate residential units in the future.

With their design, the architects draw not only on the region’s traditional farmsteads but also on a restrained material palette suited to the rural setting. This approach continues in the interior, where exposed concrete ceilings, timber finishes and white walls define the architectural expression.
Generously proportioned windows establish visual connections to the surrounding landscape from every room and provide views of the changing conditions throughout the year.
 
In the living room of the parents’ wing, the space extends to the open gable roof. A steel truss structure with stiffening concrete gables, which remain visible in the interior, forms the primary load-bearing system. In the other parts of the house, the roof is constructed as a traditional collar-beam truss on concrete slabs. The terrace in front connects the entrance porch and the workshop in the utility wing, while the sleeping quarters are oriented towards the quieter, forest-facing part of the site.