Cottage Pod Bukovou by Mjölk architekti

The original face of the unfinished cottage from the eighties has changed beyond recognition

The winter wind blows over Buková mountain. It travels from the North Sea across the German plains and gains strength in the rocky hills above church in Hejnice, to reach the other side of the mountains and talk about upcoming winter there. In these places, where that cold fingers of the north winds still reach, we have repaired the cottage.

Above the valley of Horská Kamenice river fallen beeches rustle and the wind plays a strange melody. White smoke rises from the black house and suggests that the cottage is not empty. The original face of the unfinished cottage from the eighties has changed beyond recognition. The gray brizolite was replaced by black wood paneling, which the owners tanned themselves. The wood also extends to the roof areas and the main house, even with a small cottage, looks very abstract. Terms such as roof, wall or chimney merge into a single shape. There is a house with windows and a terrace. Some of the windows cut the facade cladding into a round shape. The house looks like an overgrown birdhouse.

The interior is simple and functional. The original layout has changed. The original living space remained in place, but the sleeping layout changed. There are now two bedrooms in the house. One is large, accessible by secret stairs in the closet. The second, slightly smaller, is accessible by a ladder from the kitchen. Opposite the fireplace is an invention called the "sleeping window", where an unexpected visitor sleeps comfortably.

Fresh powder of snow crunches underfoot and we get to a smaller cottage that hosts a sauna and a bedroom for visitors. The birch halo soaks in the bucket and the sauna smells of wood. It's getting dark and in the twilight you can see the first naked people in bathrobes who are going to taste the magic of the sauna with the best view in Jizerky.

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