A Modern Slovenian Home Mingles With its 16th-Century Neighbor
Inspired by the unique characteristics of chimneys found in the small town of Logatec, Slovenia, Dekleva Gregorič Architects has designed a modern 2,207-square-foot home that wonderfully complements its historic neighbors—a wooden barn and an adjacent 16th-century church.
The exterior facade is clad in oiled larch boards—a traditional finish for surrounding barns in the area—and features a sleek, minimalist interior. Named The Chimney House, the home's layout is organized around a multifunctional wooden stove, while its distinctive form is associated with an illuminating skylight that runs along the length of the property.
"The building’s envelope is developed as a thick wall, integrating multiple storage spaces, a secondary kitchen, and small ‘inhabitable’ window niches that carefully curate incoming light and expanding views to the surroundings," explains the project's architect, Aljoša Dekleva.
Square-shaped windows frame views of the quiet village and beyond.
The gable silhouette of the house harmonizes with its rural setting.
Within, oiled oak is used for the floors and walls, while the roof is composed of reinforced concrete that reveals the imprint of the wooden formwork.
When the sliding doors are opened, the dining area appears as if it's a part of the outdoors.
The axially conceived linear layout meets the crossing of open space.
Thanks to the continuous skylight, the owner can look at the sky from all across the house, including in the dining, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.
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The kitchen has been designed to be the heart of the centrally aligned floor plan, and is equipped with a multifunctional wood stove.
"The ridge of the roof is pushed apart, creating a continuous skylight that runs throughout the house’s linear volume and provides top light for all the crucial spaces," says Dekleva.
A deep window sill doubles as a table or storage shelf.
A niche window sill serves as a display shelf.
The sunlight that pours in through the linear skylight alters the atmosphere within the house as it moves across the sky through the day.
The Chimney House Cross Sectional Drawing.
The Chimney House Floor Plan.
Project Credits:
Architecture: Aljoša Dekleva and Tina Gregorič of Dekleva Gregorič Architects / @dekleva.gregoric.architects
Builder: Stavbarstvo Zerjal Marko Zerjal
Structural engineering: Konzola, Luka Pavlovcic
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