BarnHaus, created for unforgettable memories

Wow, this is a good period, I’m posting another locale treasure lately. This time I found a Saxon barn house, called BarnHaus :), turned into a magical place. I adore those interiors where the owners have the courage to preserve an original idea, but still manage to renovate/re-build into something totally new and modern.

BarnHaus can be rented out for short stays, and it’s located in Jibert village, 1 hour from Brașov city. The property consists of 2 separate buildings: the House with 4 double bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and the Barn with 1 double bedroom, a large living room and a fully equipped kitchen. The place can be booked for min 2 nights and for max 12 persons. You will have the house to yourselves only, the owners are offsite, but reachable on phone. They have a no smoking and no shoes inside policy. Me, like this a lot 🙂 This means that the place will never get overcrowded and cleanness is a vital aspect of their business.

And now a few words about the design. I love the brownish, earthy tones of the interior design. The high ceilings along with the high fireplace gives a real cozy feeling to the place. The original beams kept in the living room show respect to the old times and Saxon traditions. The sitting area, the dining area and the wooden elements are all in a total harmony. I’m all in for the rattan lightings, those are some strong focal points of the place. I envy those people who are bold enough to have black furniture, this kitchen actually adds extra depth to the room. The brick walls here and there seem to be the red line of the property, as you can find those marvelous walls also in the bedrooms. The abundance natural light inside the house is simply beautiful, and the external fireplace is one of the most hygge spots of the property.

Before

After

If you would like to see more beautiful pictures and moments of this property, check their Facebook or Instagram pages and do not hesitate to book a weekend on their website. Your welcome for the inspiration, it was my pleasure 😉

 

Photos credits: 1st photo by @gracegotte, the rest of pictures by barnhaus.ro – shared with kind permission
Design by: @gracegotte

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Irina Neacșu, my favorite Romanian designer ever

It’s been some time since I posted a local treasure, although my region is full of talented people who end up creating handcrafted art. I’m not very much into Romanian interior design (I have my reasons, folks 😉 ), so I could not tell the same about that. However, there is one Romanian designer, Irina Neacșu, to whom I would hand over my home to create an interior design proposal without any hesitation (not that it would need a redesign).

Irina Neacșu is a designer and botanical artist, a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists, and founder of the Romanian Society of Botanical Artists. She drew my attention many moons ago with her botanical textiles, pillows, and upholsteries. In the latest years, she focused more on botanical art and painting. Since I’m totally in love with botanical art, I continued following her and admiring her works on her online Shop. Back in 2016, she moved from Bucharest to Brașov, she opened her own Irina Neacșu Studio and founded an art school, Cembra School of Botanical Art and Design, where she organizes courses and workshops in painting, drawing, textile art or design.

What I love about her work is that she managed to come up with a large palette of ideas, having wall arts, graphics, herbal teas, greeting cards, and even plantable paper (wow!) and wellness products. I gathered a few favorite items below, enjoy!

 

Ilex, watercolor on paper, 900 RON. Available here.

Wallnut still life, watercolor on vellum. Not available at the moment, but follow up here.

Primerose, watercolor on paper, 2.151 RON. Available here.

Pine and chamomile bath salt, 50 RON. Available here.

Lost Mountain, raw plant mix for herbal tea, 45 RON. Available here.

Pine&bergamote gift box. Not available at the moment, but follow up here.

Plantable paper with various seeds, 60 RON. Available here.

Greeting card printed on recycled paper, 14 RON. Available here.

Pine wrapping paper, 12 RON. Available here.

 

Photo credits: cover photo by @deersphotos from Irina’s IG feed; all product photos from irinaneacsu.com

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The Charming cottage in the Carpathian Mountains

It’s been a while since my last blog post about a Local Treasure from Romania. When I’m looking for inspiration, I pay great attention to avoid kitsch, I rather go back to basics instead of presenting something that hardly fits into my “interior principles”. When I found this “Charming cottage in the Carpathian Mountains” (literally this is its name, how lovely, isn’t it?), I knew that this should be my next local treasure, especially that it’s located in a region from where I’ve never posted any interior, more precisely in Dâmbovița county, in Râu Alb de Sus, a small border village between Transylvania and Muntenia.

The owners, Cristina, and his French husband are living in Bucharest with their children keeping this as their own vacation retreat place. The country cottage consists of 3 small houses on a 15,000 sqm land, all 3 being separated with individual bathrooms, having a common, fully equipped kitchen and a hygge living room. In total there are 4 bedrooms, and the cottage can be rented on Airbnb.

The most beautiful part of this place is that once purchased, the owners made a huge effort to recondition the old wooden elements, windows, doors, beams, and porch. They bought pieces from demolished houses and recycled old doors here and there, some of these doors are used as wall decorations instead of paintings.

Originally the living room was the barn where grain was stored in old times. The couches in the living room are from Ikea, the rugs and textiles are all specific to this region. Wooden decorations on the wall are objects from the original house kept by the owners.

The tiles from the stove are hand-painted by a craftsman from Sibiu, who seems to be the last Mohican in creating these types of handcrafted tiles. I also know Teracota Mediaș, a company specialized in handmade terracotta tiles that are beyond being beautiful.

The beds from the bedrooms are the Leirvik models from Ikea available also in Romania. The walls are whitewashed and painted with ecological paints, keeping the authenticity of their surface.

The kitchen is furnished from Ikea, having a very original dining area, you know, those types that our grandparents had back then. So, if you are looking for some nostalgia, this is the place you need to be.

The main bathroom is fully functional, turned into a bathroom from the original kitchen, that is why the stove is there. By the way, this can be very handy during cold winters, listening to the fire cracking while you take a shower might be priceless.

The guests have a free pass to the garden full of seasonable vegetables and fruits, the breakfast is included in the price, and it consists of local goodies like cheese, bacon, bread, fresh milk, etc. Isn’t this a lovely “back to basics” place? The owners have my deepest respect for their great effort in keeping the place’s authenticity. Thank you, Cristina for letting us into your lovely country cottage 🙂

 

Photo credits: @Charming cottage in the Carpathian Mountains – shared with kind permission

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Fairytale Villa in Maramureș

It has been some time since I posted a local treasure on my blog. This week’s interior is from one of the most beautiful regions of Romania, Maramureș…, especially in the autumn. If you ever visit my country, make sure you visit Maramureș.

So the story of how I found this Fairytale Villa is simple. For Christmas in 2019, we gifted, my parents and my parents in law, a trip to this nice region having the accommodation arrangements in this villa. The plan was to go there in March 2020, but then the Coronavirus did its magical entrance and the rest you know, it’s history.

I was happy when the owners, Ana and Edina, the twin sisters, confirmed that I can share the photos on my blog, as I’m in love with the interior, no wonder why I’ve chosen this place for the family trip. The girls are renting out this place since 2016. The living room with its stove it’s simply magical in all seasons, the typical Romanian traditional style is combined with subtle Scandi elements and this gives such a nice vibe to the villa. Imagine having a glass of wine next to the crackling fire on a long winter night, or on a hot summer night. The traditional rug, the sitting area, and the ceramics, here and there, are exactly enough to create a hygge interior. The big windows allow natural light to flow in, but at the same time, you have a full view of the woodsy surroundings.

 

The kitchen is nest to the open space living room, having a dining area too. It’s fully equipped, so cooking a good meal has no boundaries here.

My favorite sport in the villa is the relaxation corner from the top floor. The rug is beyond beautiful. The traditional pillows and the duvet make you remember that you are in the Maramureș region.

Lake Friza is close to the place, it’s only 300-meter distance, so in a few mins walk you can have this gorgeous view or a good swim.

What a pity that we could not have that trip. Anyhow this place is bookmarked on my Airbnb maybe one day we’ll actually get there. If you like this place, do not hesitate to book a trip on Airbnb and send my greetings to the girls if you’ll meet them.

 

Photo credits: @Fairytale Villa – shared with kind permission

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Transylvania Loft Treehouse

This week’s interior is something really special. I’ve always loved people or places with an original story, and I think this treehouse is beyond originality. The location is surrounded by pure nature, and everything encourages you to go back to the basics. However, this treehouse if a fully functional 1 bedroom interior combined with a kitchenette and a bathroom with a shower. I love the huge windows letting in the abundance of natural light, not to mention the fantastic view of the surroundings. The idea of living (even if it’s only for a few days) in a treehouse is über nice, you have the chance to try living in symbiosis with Mother Nature, to contemplate and to understand what’s important to get a hygge moment in a hygge interior.

The high ceilings painted into white give the impression of a spacious room. The dark window frames are great contrasts of the white interior. The comfy bed and the linens are the extras to make sure you feel at home in the middle of nature.

I think that we are lucky to have this kind of location in our region available for bookings. I was very thrilled also of The Hermit – a cabin in Gura Haitii, Suceava featured not so long time ago on the blog.

These days when we are working from home (or from anywhere where we have Wi-fi), I suddenly realized how great it would be to sit on this private deck, having my morning coffee and admiring the Retezat Mountains. I think I could get used to this.

The Transylvania Loft Treehouse is available on Airbnb for bookings, and Gabriela and Rareș have other great places too for renting, like the Transylvania Treehouse. They can also be found on Facebook so do not hesitate to contact them for a nice experience. If you are eager to visit Romania, this is the place you need to be.

 

Photo credits: @transylvanialogcabins– shared with friendly permission

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The Hermit – a cabin in Gura Haitii, Suceava

We are living some strange days, and traveling became something unrealistic. With all the restrictions from the last 1 year, I think this was the hardest one for me and my husband. I was super happy when I found The Hermit cabin on Airbnb, this might be a good opportunity for us to run away from the city, as traveling inside the country is possible. Romania is full of wonderful places and this 13,7 sqm small cabin is proof of that. The Hermit is in the middle of wild nature in Gura Haitii, Suceava county, as its name is indicating as well this is a perfect location for silence, contemplation, “back to the basics” lifestyle. The cabin has a spacious porch and deck area that lets you admire the stunning view of the Călimani mountains. It is designed by the architect Ana Hodan from the tresfolles interior design studio, and it was even featured on BigSEE as BigSEE Wood Design Award 2020 – Winner. The interior is inspired by the Danish hygge principles of keeping things simple and cozy, the fireplace, the candles, and books, all take you back to Nordic minimalism. The open floor living room has a huge window with a reading nook next to the fireplace for the chilly nights.

The above chair seems to be a Hans J Wegner CH07 Shell Chair from 1963, if you are a fanatic of original design products, this can be purchased from Intro Design. (Don’t kill the messenger, I’m aware of the spicy price).

The sleeping area is on the upper level of the cabin which is accessible by the metallic ladder from the living room area. The memory foam bed looks super comfortable, and it has a nice view of the mountains.

The wooden interior is in full harmony with the outside nature, and when you open the door, you just let nature coming inside.

The cabin is equipped with a simple gas bottle with burner and dining essentials, the bathroom has a walk-in shower and toiletry essentials. The Hermit can be rent on Airbnb and and if you would like to go with a larger group (not recommended now) they have another resort for 2-6 guests.

 

Photo credits: 3, 5, 6-9. shared with the cordial permission of Haita Land; 2. Vlad Florea & 1, 4, 10, 11. Cezara Tudosă via BigSEE

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