Modern Farmhouse in Laterns, Austria by Bernardo Bader Architekten

The timber farmhouse sits nestled in the middle of the Austrian hills in a small village called Laterns. Designed by the studio Bernardo Bader Architects, the timber clad building is made from rough-sawn larch slats in different widths. The uneven texture and colours of the slats lend the building a sense of having been weathered, as though it has undergone the rigours of time and the changing seasons.

Whilst the exterior may be rough, the interior is anything but. The same larch has been applied to the floors, walls and ceilings but here it has been planed and sanded to silk-like perfection.

To reduce the footprint on the land and in order to maximise the exquisite views, the building is positioned on the very edge of the site. The resultant form is a compact, elongated structure. On one side the elevation is that of a simple timber farmhouse with a gabled roof. On the other, the structural engineering of a concrete base acts as the support to the wafer thin, matchstick posts. The huge glass windows maximise the natural light, adding a textural element to the external elevation. Inside the windows afford the space maximum exposure to sunlight, drenching the first floor living spaces in light, as well as offering a visual submersion into living in the mountains.

The ground floor houses the communal areas – dining room, living room and kitchen. Double height ceilings on this level soar upwards. Light pours into the space illuminating the timber to an almost whitewashed finish in some areas, and a deep caramel or golden hue in others. Upstairs is the private domain – the bedrooms and bathing areas. The combination of white walls and light timber gives this farmhouse a distinctively Scandinavian feel – simple, clean and beautifully executed.

But it is the exterior elevation of the simple yellow rectangle that makes you fall completely in love with this farmhouse. A trick of the internal light, it punches a perfect geometric, yellow shape into an otherwise grey/brown façade. A vignette alluding to what lies within.