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Collection by Laura C. Mallonee

A Modern Home Experiments with Exposed Concrete and Sliding Yellow Doors

Polish architecture firm mode:lina aimed for simplicity with their latest project in Poznań.

The familiar dictum “less is more” has been quoted so often that it’s begun to sound like marketing copy, but Mies van der Rohe first said it for a reason. A minimalist approach to design can make spaces feel thoughtful, bright, and more spacious than they really are—qualities that are paramount to a recent project by Polish architects Pawel Garus and Jerzy Wozniak. Following modernist tenets, they combined clean lines, natural materials, and plenty of built-in storage to create a 1,500-square-foot home with a creative, industrial feeling.

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A minimalist approach to design can make spaces feel thoughtful, bright, and more spacious than they really are—qualities that are paramount to a recent project in Poznań by Polish architecture firm mode:lina. The architects employed several tricks to make the home feel more spacious. Among them, mirrors were installed to visually enlarge the room, and smart storage spaces—even a recessed dog house—were built directly into the home’s walls. “The less visible [storage is], the better,” they say.
A minimalist approach to design can make spaces feel thoughtful, bright, and more spacious than they really are—qualities that are paramount to a recent project in Poznań by Polish architecture firm mode:lina. The architects employed several tricks to make the home feel more spacious. Among them, mirrors were installed to visually enlarge the room, and smart storage spaces—even a recessed dog house—were built directly into the home’s walls. “The less visible [storage is], the better,” they say.
Canary yellow doors keep the house from feeling austere. The sliding function also saves space.
Canary yellow doors keep the house from feeling austere. The sliding function also saves space.
Contrasts help mark boundaries within the open-plan main room. While white highlights important features, like the kitchen island and fireplace, gray makes others recede into the background.
Contrasts help mark boundaries within the open-plan main room. While white highlights important features, like the kitchen island and fireplace, gray makes others recede into the background.
The residents didn’t want the television to be the focus of their new home, so the architects camouflaged it against a gray receding wall.
The residents didn’t want the television to be the focus of their new home, so the architects camouflaged it against a gray receding wall.
A geometric frame delineates the kitchen without closing it off. The island is an ideal spot to enjoy a casual breakfast.
A geometric frame delineates the kitchen without closing it off. The island is an ideal spot to enjoy a casual breakfast.
Sleek fixtures and appliances—including a Flanke Impact sink, Bosch oven, and Electrolux fridge — complement custom white kitchen cabinets.
Sleek fixtures and appliances—including a Flanke Impact sink, Bosch oven, and Electrolux fridge — complement custom white kitchen cabinets.
The bedrooms feel like sanctuaries, as they’re much darker and enclosed than other spaces in the home.
The bedrooms feel like sanctuaries, as they’re much darker and enclosed than other spaces in the home.