The Travelers’ House: A Sanctuary of Memories and Exploration

The Travelers’ House, also known as the Sadowski House, is a deeply personal residence designed for a couple of passionate globetrotters, the Sadowskis. After years of exploring extreme and remote landscapes—from deserts to polar regions—they envisioned a home that would serve as a refuge, a sanctuary, and a repository of their travel memories and cherished souvenirs. To realize this vision, they collaborated with Wojciech Kotecki of BBGK Architects and architect Katarzyna Mach, resulting in a home that is intimate, introverted, yet fully attuned to its natural surroundings.

Architectural Concept

Nestled among towering pine trees, the house is a single-storey dwelling entirely organized at ground level, concealed beneath a sweeping, tent-like roof. Inspired by the efficiency and intimacy of traditional dwellings like tipis, yurts, and igloos, the house fosters closeness and shared experiences for its inhabitants. The design prioritizes connection—both between the residents and with the surrounding forest landscape—while maintaining privacy and tranquility.

At the heart of the home, a central atrium with an inner garden and retractable glass roof blurs the line between interior and exterior. Two semi-courtyards carve into the structure, bringing greenery deep into the living spaces. A 22-meter-long panoramic sliding window opens the house toward the forest, while movable walls and retractable roofing enhance natural ventilation and light, allowing the scents and sounds of the forest to circulate within.

Interiors and Materiality

The interior design reflects a blend of warm, natural materials—wood, stone, terracotta, ceramics, and lush greenery. Exotic plants and tropical-modernist aesthetics enhance the serene, retreat-like atmosphere. Homeowners actively curated elements of the interior, from a grand piano in the living room to Vals quartzite stone discovered during their travels in Switzerland. Their personal collection of paintings, sculptures, and figurines imbues the home with emotional significance, making each object part of a “home in progress” that evolves alongside the Sadowskis’ journeys and memories.

Collaboration with landscape architect Marta Tomasiak and interior architects Monika and Adam Bronikowski ensured a seamless integration of the house, interiors, and gardens. The result is a cohesive dwelling where nature, light, and personal history intersect, creating a tranquil retreat in the heart of a Warsaw forest.

Experiential Design

The Travelers’ House is not just a home but a living archive of exploration, where design encourages reflection, intimacy, and connection with nature. The architecture embodies the Sadowskis’ philosophy: that curiosity about the world is inseparable from understanding oneself, and that the memories we gather across distant places define our identity.

This forest retreat is a modern ode to nomadic living, transforming the archetype of the shared space beneath a tent into a sophisticated, light-filled, and functional contemporary residence.