“The eaves houses designed at BXB studio are both designer and durable, timeless because they are rooted in tradition. This gives them a soul and makes them more than just modern buildings. Thus, the Lesser Polish House (2014), Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage (2015), Audio-Visual Eaves Cottage (2020), and the Little Eaves House (2021) were born at BXB studio. Today, we present another version of the eaves house, intended for individual personalization. This is a completely new type of design service developed at BXB studio.” – Bogusław Barnaś
“When Bogusław presented his vision of the “Eaves Cottage” series to me, I initially had mixed feelings – on one hand, someone was directly inspired by my house, and on the other hand – it was cool that the project was evolving. The new series managed to incorporate all the best elements of the “mother queen,” and the size was reduced while maintaining the “old” functionality. But the most important thing is that the designs still possess that special something – an element of Polish Wooden Architecture mixed with BXB. They say “There is only one Queen” – looking at the new incarnation of the “eaves cottages,” the new projects bring with them an unparalleled magic that only one unique place on earth can give – your home. And your home also deserves to be just as special.”
Regards to BXB, Sławek, the “eaves” photographer
– Owner of the Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage
The Little Eaves Cottage is the result of the evolution of previous eaves houses designed at BXB studio. This project also benefits from the experiences and insights gathered by both the designer and the owner of the Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage. With our developed system of proven structural schemes, we can realize house projects faster and more precisely, tailored to budget, individual requirements, and various locations, each time delivering a custom, uniquely designed work that blends into the local landscape. We have developed various material and spatial variants that integrate with all types of terrain – both flat and steep plots.
In this house, the boundary between the interior and the outdoor space blurs thanks to innovative stylistic and technological solutions. The first element of integration is the continuation of the indoor kitchen with the outdoor kitchen. Both the indoor and outdoor kitchens maintain stylistic consistency. When the sliding window is opened, the two kitchens merge into one whole.
Another element of the integration of the interior with the external terrace is the continuation of the eaves stairs. Here, too, the glazing can be opened, extending the living area – the stairs and terrace equipped with a home jacuzzi with a sliding system for covering the basin.
The Little Eaves Cottage is a project designed for individual personalization, allowing for
the realization of a house inspired by the architecture of wooden eaves houses found, for
example, in the market square of Lanckorona and one of the most iconic single-family homes in Poland – the Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage. This work model based on predesigned structural schemes reduces the risk of ordering a project where the final outcome is entirely unknown. It is a single-family house with an area of about 190-290 m², which, thanks to optimized construction, has a similar functional-spatial program to the much larger, 370 m² Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage
Historyczne Chaty Podcieniowe w Lanckoronie.
In the Little Eaves Cottage, we designed an office space accessible from both the interior
and the external entrance area. Additionally, the office space is designed to fully open to
the living room space.
We treated the roof in an innovative way, creating a so-called anti-dormer – forming the
roof space by subtracting the volume rather than adding, as is the case with a traditional
dormer window.
We also developed individually personalized interior designs for the Little Eaves Cottage. Noteworthy here is the special treatment of the stairs leading to the upper floor, filled with greenery and natural light thanks to additional roof glazing. This ensures even lighting of the entire living area. The Little Eaves Cottage is a very rational house, drawing directly from the tradition of Polish architecture and the experience accumulated during the realization of our eaves houses.
Selected functional layouts of individual floors of the personalized Eaves Cottage
The Little Eaves Cottage is a very rational house, drawing directly from the tradition of Polish architecture and the experience accumulated during the realization of our eaves houses. It is both a sustainable and ecological house. The compact shape of the building accumulates thermal energy. The simple architectural form reduces the number of details and critical points that increase investment costs and accelerate the aging process. Through a rational architectural structure, the building cooperates with the natural environment, lighting, cardinal directions, topography, wind, water, and view axes. The eaves of the living area and entrance area protect against the negative effects of weather conditions. At the investor’s request, the building will be equipped with systems that ensure optimal energy efficiency integrated with the natural environment, geothermal energy, irrigation systems, rainwater utilization systems, wall heating and cooling systems, heat pumps, natural ventilation, and the use of solar energy.
History of the Development of the New Design Service at BXB Studio – Personalized Eaves Cottage
The history dates back to 2014. We then designed the Lesser Polish House for our client, who ultimately did not decide to build the house. That same year, for another client and now a good friend, photographer Sławek, we began working on his house, which we called the Photographer’s House. When work on the construction design of the Photographer’s House was already underway, we decided on our own initiative to develop an alternative version inspired by the Lesser Polish House. Thus, the concept of the Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage was born. We presented this concept to Sławek, who decided to build the house in this edition. I will never forget his reaction: “Let’s start the construction design from scratch, but please, don’t make another concept.”
Photographer’s House
The Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage was awarded by the Polish Chamber of Architects even before it was built. Construction of the house was completed around 2017, but we decided to wait a few years for the photo session, adhering to the principle that it is fair to photograph architecture 4-5 years later, when the durability and quality of the building’s aging can be assessed. During this time, I managed to build a lasting relationship with Sławek and his family. For me, as a designer, it was a great surprise that during the holidays, I received the keys to this house and could then feel not only the creator of the Lesser Polish Cottage but also its resident.
The realization was photographed and published in 2021. Shortly after publication, this house appeared on magazine covers, TV screens, and became one of the most recognizable single-family houses from Poland. It received several prestigious awards, earning the nickname of the world’s most beautiful house, thanks to awards like the Global Architecture & Design Award, which selects only one house globally. The high architectural quality was confirmed by subsequent awards, such as the German Design Award or the European Property Award, and the lucky owner of the now-famous Lesser Polish Eaves Cottage started receiving offers to buy his house at astronomical values.
We received numerous inquiries from people who wanted to have an Eaves Cottage from
BXB studio. Thus, other projects like the Audio-Visual Eaves Cottage or the Little Eaves
House were born. Unfortunately, we were unable to serve the large number of investors
interested in our architecture. This is when the idea of developing a structural scheme
for the Eaves House that we could personalize multiple times was born. We invited
Sławek – the owner of the iconic cottage – to discuss this idea, for whom we had just
started working on another project – the revitalization of the Matylda Mine building.
Together, we decided to identify the characteristics of the Eaves Cottage that could be
functionally, stylistically, or technologically improved after 10 years. Sławek’s suggestion
was actually just one: he said he would consider a smaller area, as maintaining 370 m²
clean is quite a challenge, especially since his 5-person family tries to do it themselves.
At BXB studio, we decided not only to reduce the size but also to introduce completely
new, innovative solutions in line with the times. Ultimately, a completely different Eaves
Cottage was created for individual personalization with an area of about 190-290 m².
Despite the reduced area, we managed to maintain a similar functional program. We
gave it a new style. We introduced several innovative technological solutions, more
daylight, greater integration of the interior with the terrace area, an independent office
with external access, and many others. We also proposed solutions borrowed from our
other projects – the Lesser Polish House, the Audio-Visual Eaves Cottage, or the Little
Eaves House. Moreover, every time we realize this project for our investors, we subject it
to a process of custom personalization tailored to the specific plot, context of the place,
and individual requirements. This way, each realization of the Little Eaves Cottage has a
unique, one-of-a-kind character. This work model allows us to reduce project time and
costs and enables us to realize many more in various regions of Poland and even the
world. For our investors, the lack of risk associated with ordering an individual project,
where the final result is always unknown, is significant. However, the most important
thing for our investors is the opportunity to own an Eaves Cottage from BXB studio –
one of the most iconic single-family homes from Poland.
Budowa spersonalizowanej Chaty Podcieniowej
Eaves Cottage
Aritecture and Interior Design: BXB studio Bogusław Barnaś
Team: Bogusław Barnaś, Bartłomiej Szewczyk, Justyna Duszyńska-Krawczyk, Aleksandra Gawron, Bartłomiej Mierczak, Magdalena Fuchs, Marcin Owczarek, Urszula Furmanik, Aleksandra Parchem, Katarzyna Trzepałka
Category: Personalised Houses by BXB studio
Aren: ok. 190-290 m2
Year 2021-2024
