Beech Valley / ArchMondo

Architects: ArchMondo | Piotr Kowalczyk
Area: 86 m² (each house)
Year: 2022
Photography: Fotomohito
Interior Design: Marzena Pionk
City: Kashubian Valley, Gdańsk
Country: Poland

Beech Valley is a cluster of four vacation homes nestled in Poland’s Kashubian Valley, designed by ArchMondo under the direction of Piotr Kowalczyk. The project interprets the character of a small rural hamlet, merging contemporary design language with vernacular sensibility. Each 86-square-meter dwelling occupies a 500-square-meter plot and is finished in a palette of light gray stucco, spruce, and metal. The ensemble’s modest scale, muted tones, and natural materials allow it to blend gently with the surrounding beech forests and nearby Lake Grabówko. Designed for those seeking proximity to nature, Beech Valley offers a retreat that balances privacy with community through its shared open spaces, terraces, and strong visual connection to the landscape.

The choice of materials – wood, plaster, and sheet metal – was heavily influenced by the need to keep the project economical. The budget for this development was extremely limited. The materials were chosen to balance affordability with functionality while maintaining a sense of aesthetic integrity.
Interview with Piotr Kowalczyk of ARCHMONDO

Set within the undulating terrain of the Kashubian Valley, Beech Valley by ArchMondo presents an architectural response rooted in simplicity and respect for its environment. Rather than imposing itself on the landscape, the project adopts the scale and rhythm of a rural settlement. Its four compact houses are arranged to suggest the intimacy of a farmstead, creating a sense of belonging and quiet coherence.

Piotr Kowalczyk’s design relies on restrained forms and an economy of materials. The gabled volumes, rendered in light gray stucco and metal, are softened by the warmth of spruce cladding that defines their front and rear façades. This interplay between smooth surfaces and natural texture lends the ensemble a distinctly modern yet timeless quality. The architectural language is deliberately subdued, allowing daylight and the natural surroundings to become central elements of the composition.

Large windows punctuate the façades, dissolving boundaries between interior and exterior. The glazing not only illuminates the spaces but also frames views of the forest canopy and open sky, fostering a continuous dialogue with the landscape. Inside, the layout emphasizes clarity and function: a ground-floor living area opens to a covered terrace, while the upper level houses three bedrooms and a single shared bathroom. The interiors, designed by Marzena Pionk, extend the project’s minimal ethos through light finishes and natural materials, reinforcing the sense of calm and retreat.

Beyond individual dwellings, the shared outdoor space between the houses evokes traditional Polish rural communities, where social life unfolds in open courtyards and common grounds. This balance of privacy and collectivity defines Beech Valley’s architectural identity. By distilling regional character into clean, contemporary forms, ArchMondo achieves an architecture that feels both current and rooted. The result is a refined yet unpretentious composition — a sanctuary of wood, light, and silence that reconnects its inhabitants with the rhythms of nature.