House Among The Trees / Wrzeszcz Architekci

Architects: Wrzeszcz Architekci
Area: 475 m² / 5,112 sq ft
Year: 2024
Photography: Przemysław Turlej, Patryk Lewiński
Architects Team: Borys Wrzeszcz, Mariusz Wrzeszcz, Maciej Jachowski
Interior Design: mode:lina™
Design Team: Anna Kazecka-Włodarczyk, Jerzy Woźniak, Paweł Garus
Garden Design: Krzysztof Janik
City: Poznań
Country: Poland

House Among the Trees is a private residence in Poznań designed by Wrzeszcz Architekci, with interiors by mode:lina™, as a carefully integrated response to a pine-filled site. Conceived as an extension of its natural surroundings, the house avoids competing with the landscape and instead opens itself toward the forest through large glazed surfaces, terraces, and a composition that follows the rhythm of the terrain and trees. Its stepped, multi-level form reflects a varied internal section, where differences in height define a clear spatial hierarchy across communal and private zones. The interiors continue this architectural concept through a restrained palette of concrete, steel, wood, and glass. A sculptural staircase anchors the central hall, while timber slats soften the stronger material contrasts and unify built-in elements throughout the house. Designed for a family of five, the project balances openness and intimacy, combining generous shared spaces with more secluded private quarters. The result is a cohesive domestic environment in which architecture, interiors, and landscape are brought together with clarity and precision.

House among the trees / wrzeszcz architekci

House Among the Trees begins not with an architectural assertion, but with a measured act of restraint. Set within a densely wooded plot in Poznań, the residence was conceived to work with the presence of tall pine trees rather than to dominate them. This attitude gives the project its defining character. From the street, the house appears relatively subdued, revealing little of the scale and complexity that unfolds within. Its pavilion-like silhouette and stepped rooflines establish a composed external presence, while also expressing the sectional logic that organizes the interior.

The project was developed through a collaboration between Wrzeszcz Architekci, responsible for the building’s architecture, and mode:lina™, which designed the interiors. This partnership is evident in the consistency of the final result. The house does not treat architecture and interior design as separate disciplines, but as intertwined parts of a single spatial idea. That idea is grounded in continuity with the site, clarity of form, and a domestic environment tailored to the routines of family life.

A key strength of the house lies in the way it uses changing ceiling heights to produce spatial hierarchy and atmosphere. The entrance canopy, double-height hall, dining room, kitchen, and adjoining living spaces each assume distinct proportions, generating a sequence of expansion and compression across the ground floor. These shifts are not merely formal gestures. They help distinguish representational areas from more intimate zones and allow the house to move fluidly between openness and enclosure. The main living floor contains the hall, kitchen, dining room, living room, library, and guest wing, all connected with varying degrees of separation. Three terraces extend these spaces outward, reinforcing the relationship between interior life, the garden, and the surrounding forest.

The upper level contains the private sleeping quarters for the family, including the parents’ bedroom and the rooms of their three sons, while the basement accommodates the technical spaces and garage. This functional division gives the house a clear domestic order, separating shared and private domains without disrupting the overall continuity of the design. The existing trees also contribute to the environmental quality of the house, naturally shading the façades and enabling large expanses of glazing that bring daylight deep into the interior.

Inside, the design develops a strong material language built on contrast and control. Raw concrete, black surfaces, steel, and wood are combined in a manner that feels deliberate rather than decorative. The central staircase, positioned in the seven-metre-high hall, is the most striking expression of this approach. With its monolithic steel balustrade set against a concrete wall, it operates as both an architectural event and a device for ordering the ground floor. The gesture is bold, yet it remains fully integrated into the spatial logic of the house.

Wooden slats appear repeatedly throughout the interior, moderating the austerity of the harder materials and introducing texture and warmth. They also perform a practical function, concealing doors and technical components while preserving the visual coherence of the spaces. This combination of expressive clarity and functional precision is carried into the kitchen, which is arranged around a black cubic volume that reads as a freestanding object within the open plan. Equipped for serious cooking and daily family use, it serves not only as a workspace but as one of the social anchors of the house. Nearby, the dining area is marked by a long table and a graphic lighting installation that emphasizes the height and openness of the room.

Elsewhere, large glazed openings frame the private forest as a constant visual presence. In the living room, greenery becomes an extension of the interior, while shelving systems accommodate books, collections, and family objects that personalize the otherwise restrained setting. The adjacent study combines work and leisure functions, with space for desks, computers, DJ equipment, and bookshelves, again demonstrating the house’s attention to the realities of everyday use. The bedrooms and bathrooms continue the project’s material consistency while allowing for shifts in mood, from the quieter atmosphere of the master suite to the more vivid accents introduced in the children’s spaces.

House Among the Trees succeeds through the precision of its relationships: between building and site, structure and interior, family life and architectural form. Rather than relying on spectacle, it builds its identity through careful proportion, material discipline, and an attentive reading of context. The result is a residence that feels both substantial and deeply connected to its setting, offering a clear example of how contemporary domestic architecture can achieve richness through coherence rather than excess.