This Cute Lakeside Cabin in the Czech Republic Looks Like a Toy

The timber home’s tidy little footprint makes it appear to have been placed by hand in the forested setting.

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Project Details:

Location: Lipno Lake, Czech

Architect: Les Archinautes

Year: 2021

Footprint: 1,270 square feet

Photographer: Petr Polák

From the Architect: "The building is located in the heart of the Bohemian Forest with a view of Lipno Lake. This cabin is designed to provide the perfect base for nearby mountain sports in all conditions.

"The home’s design stands on several principles of Bohemian Forest architecture: a rectangular floor plan, compact shape, orientation along the contour line, a covered porch, and an overhanging gable. The building is single-story with an attic. The height alignment of the eave’s plane with the lintel of the windows and doors on one horizontal line is a contemporary interpretation of the cornice.

"The view of Lipno Lake, with two major peaks in the background, is the main point of the project. Its living space is centered around the dominant gabled square window facing the lake. The other windows have a direct view of the forest, which is present in the interior as a material, smell, and color. One small room, a bathroom, a laundry room, a small sauna, and a room for storing sports and technical equipment are located on the ground floor. The attic hides a bathroom, a pantry, and two bedrooms with a circular window in the gable, framing other peaks in the area.

"The building is designed as a wooden structure made of CLT panels visible in the interior. The cladding of the facade consists of vertical larch profiles, the windows are complemented by integrated sliding shutters, and the roof is sheet metal. The building was realized by a family company 3AE which worked in close collaboration with the designer. Besides the final quality of the building, they also ensured a high level of detail execution. Shared values, a sense for detail, and an appreciation of natural materials make the final result resonate."