Borová Lada Cottage by Studio Plyš

Set on the edge of Borová Lada, along a road that leads deeper into the Bohemian Forest, this late 19th-century cottage has been carefully renovated by Studio Plyš to celebrate continuity rather than rupture. The project embraces the layered history of the building, proposing a quiet and precise architectural intervention that respects the surrounding landscape while openly acknowledging the presence of the new.

Rather than restoring the cottage to an idealized past, the renovation reveals its accumulated transformations, turning structural scars and previous missteps into defining spatial qualities.

Respecting Layers of Time

The design approach is rooted in a deep respect for the cottage’s material and historical strata. Inappropriate alterations from the late 20th century—many of which had compromised the structure—were selectively removed, yet their consequences were not erased. Instead, these weaknesses became opportunities to reorganize the spatial hierarchy of the house.

What was once the most damaged part of the structure is now the heart of the home: a generous living area that opens both toward the garden and into the kitchen, reconnecting interior life with the surrounding landscape.

A Reconfigured Rural Typology

The former barn, vertically extended and structurally reinforced, now functions as a flexible intermediary space—neither fully inside nor outside. It accommodates storage, gatherings, and seasonal use, bridging warmth and cold, domesticity and landscape.

The new layout allows the cottage to function as a multigenerational house, with two residential units and shared spaces connected by a central staircase, reinforcing both independence and togetherness.

Old Silhouette, New Openings

The external silhouette of the house remains unchanged, preserving its familiar presence within the village. Contemporary interventions appear through large-format glazing, which brings daylight deep into the interior and frames views of the forested surroundings.

Oversized wooden shutters protect the house from harsh weather and ensure privacy when needed. Their rails remain deliberately visible, as do exposed concrete elements, making the renovation legible rather than concealed. Blending into the landscape, here, does not mean pretending nothing has changed.

Structural Reinvention from Within

Three massive reinforced concrete columns were introduced to support the roof structure, cast together with new foundations for the barn after the failure of earlier repairs. The original roof truss was carefully salvaged: heavy concrete tiles were replaced with lightweight aluminum, and selected rafters were reinforced with exposed steel beams.

This structural strategy made it possible to insulate the roof envelope, create new living spaces beneath it, and preserve the original timber framework as an integral architectural feature.

A Contemporary Insert Within the Historic Shell

A new timber volume—quite literally screwed into the existing structure—was inserted into the attic and former stalls. Built from a lightweight wooden frame and clad in fiber-cement boards made from natural and recycled materials, the volume houses bathrooms and service spaces.

Crucially, it remains structurally and materially independent from the historic shell, preventing moisture transfer while preserving the vapor-open nature of the original construction.

Craft, Comfort, and Sustainability

Original wooden floors and the tiled stove on the ground floor were preserved, anchoring the house in its domestic past. While the stove remains functional and cherished, everyday heating is provided by an air-to-water heat pump, integrated into a smart home system that also manages lighting and exterior shutters.

Custom-made furniture—collectively named “Bedřich”, after the carpenter’s dachshund—plays a central role in balancing old and new. Crafted from solid oak, the folding table, bed, and bench were designed specifically for the preserved rooms, combining craftsmanship with near-engineering precision.

A Quiet Tribute to Czech Cottage Culture

The project acknowledges the phenomenon of Czech vacation housing, without which many rural cottages would not have survived. Even the roof insulation detail subtly references the edge of a zmijovka, the traditional cap worn by generations of Czech cottage-goers.

Borová Lada Cottage stands as a restrained yet confident example of heritage renovation, where architectural clarity, craftsmanship, and contemporary living coexist without nostalgia or spectacle.

All the Photographs are works of Tomáš Slavík