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Project Details:
Location: Istebna, Poland
Photographer: ONI Studio / @onistories
From the Architect: “Plener Istebna comprises two wooden holiday cottages perched on one of Istebna’s picturesque hills in the heart of the Silesian Beskids, not far from the Polish-Czech-Slovak border. The masterminds behind the project, Tomek and Miłosz, bring complementary backgrounds: Tomek, an avid athlete raised in the mountains, and Miłosz, a self-described ‘city person’ with a deep connection to the mountains through his beloved grandmother. Both agree that Istebna is the perfect place for a city break. This shared vision gave birth to Plener, with the cottages designed by architect Justyna Boduch, who skillfully blended regional architectural elements with modern trends and the owners” needs. Interior designer Marcin from Mistovia crafted the interiors.
“Each cottage measures just under 70 square meters (approximately 743 square feet) and can accommodate up to nine guests. While they share a twin functional layout and cohesive interior style, they differ in material choices, inspiring their names: Stone and Terracotta. Guests enjoy a spacious living room with a kitchenette, a bathroom, and access to a terrace with mountain views and a hot tub. A wooden staircase with plywood-and-glass balustrades leads to the upper floor, housing two bedrooms and a bathroom. Both cottages feature functional steel kitchens and bathrooms with granite countertops. Observant visitors will notice distinct details—such as decorative ceramic solutions in the lintels above the entry doors—that lend individuality to each cottage.
“The heart of each cottage is undoubtedly the living room. In Stone, warmth is created through abundant wood, bright neutral colors drawn from nature, and a dark graphite floor made of large-format tiles mimicking black Calacatta marble veins. This provides a solid background for wooden furniture, including a vintage oval table reminiscent of Rainer Daumiller’s designs, a mix of woven-seat chairs in various shapes (mostly secondhand), and a cozy Danish armchair from the 1970s that was once part of a modular sofa. The plywood used for the staircase balustrade reappears on the ceiling and parts of the walls, softening the space and pleasantly contrasting with the raw concrete and clay plaster walls with added straw chaff.
“Terracotta, on the other hand, tells a slightly different story. It is dominated by color—a warm, rusty hue of baked clay subtly weaves through the interior, from the Italian Fioranese ceramic floor in the living room to the corduroy-upholstered armchair, sofa, and tiles in both bathrooms. Mistovia’s designers paired this terra-cotta theme with darker-toned furniture: a round walnut table, a mahogany chest of drawers, and vintage chairs with sculpted backs complemented by locally sourced stools embellished with traditional highland designs. A wall adorned with decorative stove tiles from a small Ukranian workshop evokes the traditional tiled stoves characteristic of old wooden homes.
“The furniture in both cottages comes from various decades and sources, including popular online marketplaces and vintage specialists. Some pieces, such as the Italian travertine table or the Norwegian chrome armchair with corduroy upholstery, were sourced from professionals specializing in vintage furniture. Fitting for the Polish-Czech-Slovak borderland, many pieces have Czechoslovakian roots, such as a TV stand designed by František Jirák and a high-gloss chest of drawers from the 1960s, both made in Tatra Nabytok woodworking factories.”
