Tag Archives: Vacation house

This Floating River Cabin in Serbia Is Our Dream Weekend Escape

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If I would someday win the lottery, one of the things that I would allot my winnings to is to build a vacation house somewhere along the river or any scenic area. Just the idea of having somewhere to retreat to when city life becomes too overbearing would be a comfort to me and my loved ones. For now, I would have to live vicariously through the designs I see, like this one created for a couple in Serbia by Aleksandar Stanković of studio MARSA.

This floating cabin is located on a stationary pontoon along the Sava River in the Sava Shipyard, one of the most renowned shipyards in the region. Measuring eight-by-six meters, this compact yet thoughtfully designed structure maximizes every inch of space. It is an open-concept structure that is created for leisurely afternoons, weekend stays, and intimate gatherings for their family and friends. All elements of the design are meant to give the family a peaceful retreat and haven from the daily grind.

Designer: Aleksandar Stanković of studio MARSA (photos by Ivana Petrov)

The design is inspired by the riverside setting and the old shipyards in the area, paying tribute to the maritime heritage of the site. It uses a combination of wood and metal, giving off a textural contrast and adding to the charm of the cabin. You get deep greens to mirror the water hues and red accents as a nod to nautical navigation markers. This way, you have an honest, grounded aesthetic to mirror the landscape where the retreat stands on.

The architectural language of the cabin speaks to its unique floating nature. The stationary pontoon provides a stable foundation while maintaining that gentle connection to the water’s movement. The structure’s proportions were carefully calculated to balance comfort with the intimate scale appropriate for a riverside retreat. The exterior showcases a disciplined palette that allows the cabin to feel both contemporary and timeless, never competing with its natural surroundings.

Inside, you get light-filled spaces that blur the line between being indoor and outdoor. The open-concept layout eliminates unnecessary walls, creating fluid spaces where the family room seamlessly transitions from one activity zone to another. It also highlights the riverside location by providing carefully framed scenic views from within. Large windows act as living paintings, capturing different perspectives of the Sava River throughout the day, from morning mists to golden-hour reflections. You’re connected to your surroundings while also creating a calm haven to get you away from your normal life, emphasizing a floating and peaceful feeling for everyone, whether it’s daytime or when it’s illuminated at night.

The interior features continue the nautical theme with sculptural quality and attention to detail. Dark cabinetry grounds the space, while the interplay of textures (smooth metal fixtures against warm wood surfaces) creates visual interest without overwhelming the compact footprint. Every element serves dual purposes: beauty and function coexist in perfect harmony. The thoughtful material choices extend to every surface, creating a cohesive environment where you can truly unwind. Imagine spending your afternoons here with a good book, watching the river flow by, or gathering around the table for long conversations with friends over wine and home-cooked meals.

This marks a homecoming of sorts for Serbian-born Stanković, who’s an architect and designer based in London. He collaborated with local Serbian engineers and contractors for this project, showcasing local craftsmanship and expertise. Notably, this is the very first completed project by Studio MARSA, making it a significant milestone in the studio’s portfolio and a testament to Stanković’s vision.

The Sava River cabin is a project that blends functionality with poetry since it can be both a practical weekend retreat for the family as well as a thoughtful meditation place where heritage and nature come together.

The post This Floating River Cabin in Serbia Is Our Dream Weekend Escape first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Dutch A-Frame Shares Its Space With Bats, Birds, and Nature

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There’s something quietly radical about a house that invites wildlife to move in when its owners move out. In the forest park near the Herperduin nature reserve in the Netherlands, a 1984 A-frame holiday home has been transformed into something more than just a weekend escape. It’s become a shared space between humans and the natural world, and the design reflects that unusual partnership.

Kumiki Architecture took on the challenge of extending and renovating this classic triangular structure, working closely with the family who owns it and an ecologist to create what they call a “biobased holiday house.” The result is a fascinating case study in how architecture can do more than just minimize its environmental impact. It can actively contribute to the ecosystem around it.

Designer: Kumiki Architects

The original A-frame, with its steeply pitched roof and cozy woodland vibe, had all the charm of 1980s vacation architecture. But it needed more space for a young family looking to escape city life and reconnect with nature on weekends. Rather than fighting against the distinctive character of the original structure, Kumiki’s design team embraced it. The extension follows the same A-frame logic, repeating the rhythm of those dramatic triangular forms across two stories. But here’s where it gets interesting: the new roof is cut diagonally, creating a contemporary twist on the traditional design that makes the house feel both familiar and fresh.

The diagonal cut isn’t just a visual flourish. It demonstrates how architects can honor the past while moving forward, respecting the language of the original building while speaking in a slightly different accent. The renewed roof received insulation made from wood fiber and new roofing tiles, updating the structure for modern energy efficiency without abandoning its fundamental character.

What really sets this project apart, though, is the integrated ecological plan developed in collaboration with an ecologist. This isn’t greenwashing or a token gesture toward sustainability. The guiding principle for the entire project was “sharing the house with nature,” and Kumiki took that literally. Nesting boxes are built directly into the eaves. A “bat hotel” (yes, really) is incorporated into the facade. When the family heads back to the city, birds, bats, and other forest creatures essentially take over the property. The house becomes part of the habitat rather than an intrusion into it.

For the family’s children, this creates an unexpected educational opportunity. Living alongside these creatures, even temporarily, teaches them about forest biodiversity in a way no textbook or nature documentary could match. It’s hands-on environmental education built directly into the architecture of their vacation home. This approach reflects a broader shift happening in contemporary architecture, where the goal isn’t just to reduce harm but to create buildings that actively support the ecosystems they inhabit. The construction timeline stretched from 2022 to 2025, with main structural elements built from wood, reinforcing the project’s commitment to natural, sustainable materials.

The location itself is spectacular. Surrounded by heathlands, ponds, and sand drifts near the nature reserve, the house sits in a landscape that feels worlds away from urban life. It’s exactly the kind of place where you’d want to disconnect from screens and reconnect with the slower rhythms of the natural world. The architecture acknowledges this context by creating a building that doesn’t just observe nature from behind glass but participates in it.

Kumiki Architecture, based in Amsterdam, has been developing innovative building techniques that aim for net-positive effects on landscapes rather than simply neutral ones. This Herperduin project showcases that philosophy in action. It proves you don’t need to choose between human comfort and environmental responsibility, between contemporary design and respect for architectural heritage.

The diagonal A-frame extension manages to be multiple things at once: a family retreat, a wildlife habitat, a teaching tool, and a thoughtful piece of contemporary architecture. It’s a reminder that the best design solutions often come from asking different questions. Not “how do we minimize our impact?” but “how can we share this space?” Not “how do we preserve the old building?” but “how do we continue its conversation?” In an era of climate anxiety and environmental crisis, projects like this offer something genuinely hopeful. They suggest that living alongside nature, rather than separate from it, isn’t just possible but can actually enhance both human life and biodiversity. And that’s a vision of the future worth building toward.

The post This Dutch A-Frame Shares Its Space With Bats, Birds, and Nature first appeared on Yanko Design.