When Polish singer and illustrator Magda Grabowska-Wacławek, who goes by the stage name Bovska, and her animator husband, Grzegorz Wacławek of Animoon Studios, bought an allotment in Warsaw, they were seeking a refuge from urban life. Like so many others, during the pandemic, they had experienced a need for more greenery but were not keen to venture too far from the city. Magda and Grzegorz bought (or, in fact, leased—more on that later) the allotment in 2020, and by 2023 had designed and built a tiny home on it.

In Poland, family allotment gardens— locally known as rodzinne ogródki działkowe, or RODs, for short—have a long history dating back to the late-19th century, when the working class would use them as recreational spaces to relax and grow their own vegetables. Popular during communist times, they were mostly forgotten until the pandemic. Today, Poland’s allotment gardens are flourishing again, fostering small but close-knit communities. The land cannot be bought since it’s owned by the public, but can be leased for 99 years. The use is also regulated: structures built in the gardens cannot be permanent, nor can they exceed 375 square feet.

The ROD where Magda and Grzegorz have their tiny house is close to central Warsaw, next to a mall and a subway stop. However, as the project’s architects, Karol Pasternak and Piotr Maciaszek of Noke Architects, explain, most locals don’t even know it’s there. Magda and Grzegorz can leave their city center apartment, hop on the subway, walk a few minutes, and find themselves in their second home, a green oasis that feels like another world.

“The paradox is that it takes 20 minutes by metro to get from our apartment to our little house,” says Magda. “Teleportation of this kind is not possible if you have a house in the suburbs, but the feeling is exactly the same. Time suddenly slows down, and you can breathe, stop to see what tree is in bloom, and listen to birdsong.”

Adds Grzegorz, “Everything rushes around at an alarming pace in Warsaw. There’s a lot of concrete around us. We wanted our own piece of greenery and a place to breathe. The first time we saw this place, we fell in love, and now it’s our little secret garden.”

Karol Pasternak of Noke Architects, who undertook the design project alongside his business partner Piotr Maciaszek. “When the cherries fall on the table, the effect is spectacular.”" layout="" credit="Photo by Piotr Maciaszek" photoUserId=""/>

At more than 6,300 square feet, the plot that Magda and Grzegorz lease is larger than most. It allowed them to build a house at the size limit of 375 square feet and a 130-square-foot greenhouse at the end of the garden. It cannot be used as a permanent residence, but the convenient location makes it easy to escape to at a moment’s notice.

Both graduates of the Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts, Magda and Grzegorz say color plays a crucial part in their lives. Their architects agree. “They are very colorful people,” says Maciaszek, adding that the current trend in Poland is to “stick to classics,” with a tendency toward Scandinavian minimalism. “We knew Magda and Grzegorz wanted something crazy, something bold. What they have is a small secret garden, with a small secret house, as colorful as they are.”

Grzegorz says it’s his favorite detail. “It has fantastic proportions and provides a great contrast to the trapezoidal wall. Noke’s idea to make it half window, half mirror is brilliant and very magical. The height is perfect as it allows us mainly to see the sky and the greenery. It’s very sensual.”" layout="" credit="Photo by Piotr Maciaszek" photoUserId=""/>

The first thing you notice upon entering Magda and Grzegorz’s tiny home are the striking hues: a cobalt blue bathroom, and a raspberry-red bedroom and kitchen. Both colors appear over and over: the desk, too, is cobalt, while the steel railing that runs around the property is raspberry.

These weren’t applied at random, says Pasternak, explaining that the colors indicate functions: “Red means leisure, kitchen, and storage, while blue means work and bathroom. The walls, ceilings, and a lot of the furniture are made from natural plywood. It’s bold but very minimalist at the same time,” he says.

“In my work as an illustrator, color is crucial; it’s where I start,” says Magda. “Choosing the perfect shade for the plywood in our little house took a month—we tested different colors and checked how they looked on the wall surface and how they worked with light.” The walls and ceilings of the house are covered in plywood stained with natural oils from Osmo.

“I'm not afraid of bold, vivid colors,” Grzegorz enthuses in response to Magda. “What’s wonderful about our magic garden is that, in every season, the colors perfectly match and resonate with the surrounding nature.”

Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Noke Architects / @noke_architects

Structural Engineer: Filip Świstowski

Landscape Design: LAO Architektura

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