Holiday House in Istria

Location: Istria, Croatia

Project year: 2020-24

Status: Completed

In an old Istrian village, nestled between olive groves and traditional stone walls, we designed a family vacation house. The concept follows clear principles: preserving the character of traditional materials on the exterior while introducing bright, open, and contemporary spaces within.

The site is deeply rooted in history—365 years ago, villagers planted rows of olive trees that continue to shape the landscape today. As tourism expanded, the settlement gradually merged with the orchards. Preserving these centuries-old trees was the client’s foremost request, and the house is carefully placed between them. Generous glass openings frame the trees, ensuring their presence is experienced along every path of the interior.

The floor plan is compact yet functional, accommodating four bedrooms, a family room, and a kitchen with a dining area that flows directly outdoors. A rooftop terrace crowns the house, opening panoramic views toward the Adriatic Sea and the Brijuni Islands.

Context and materiality

The ground floor façade is clad in stone, referencing the traditional dry stone walls that historically defined property boundaries across the region. This gesture anchors the building in its context, blending it seamlessly with the surrounding landscape of walls and orchards.

Inside, the design is defined by a restrained, luminous palette. Terrazzo tile floors provide a durable yet refined base, while furniture in natural wood and white tones creates a calm backdrop. Accents of olive green in the kitchen and bathrooms echo the surrounding groves, blurring the boundary between interior and landscape. The materiality and color scheme are drawn directly from the outdoors, reinforcing the dialogue between architecture and place.