Tradition meets modernity

The plan: Old apartment with stucco on high ceilings and a terrace in the big city.
The realization: Large new house without stucco, with two terraces and garden in the countryside. After several years of capital city life, Julia @hanghaus15 returned to her hometown and built a single-family house with her partner in a tranquil community in Lower Austria. The floor plan was largely self-designed, and numerous tasks on and around the house were performed independently. View and light were two main reasons for choosing the plot. Situated on a south-facing slope, the house combines both features. The interior merges modern with classic elements, giving the new build a very special charm. After moving in during spring 2021, the garden and outdoor areas will be developed next year.

Did you also consider using long handles?
We actually did not look around for an alternative to our handles. However, some cabinets in the kitchen were implemented with recessed grips or push-to-open mechanisms.

The illuminated display cabinet is a particular highlight! How did you come up with that?
Again, I have to refer back to the first point. We saw the display cabinet in the magazine and immediately thought about where we could incorporate such a cabinet into our layout. The location changed several times during the planning process as well. Eventually, the display cabinet found its place at the heart of the kitchen. The lighting strip can be individually adjusted from cool to warm white and often serves as ambient lighting for us in the evenings.

What had to be considered during construction due to the slope?
The main difference compared to building on flat ground is probably the additional effort in constructing the floor slab. Naturally, the slope has to be leveled out in order to create a flat living area. On the south side, we have filled up almost an entire storey. A split-level house can help when dealing with steeper slopes.

How would you describe your interior design style?
I would describe the style as "colorful modern-classic" with some Mid-century modern influences. However, in general, I rarely stick strictly to specific guidelines – luckily my partner and I share similar tastes :)

In one of your posts you write that you like "everything but ordinary". What does that mean?
Well, I think my preference for the extraordinary is something I was born with.
To narrow it down to the subject of interior design: I'm fascinated by furniture and items you don't see in every household. Items that tell a story or are simply different from current trends.
I also love the combination of old and new – and we've implemented this a lot in our home.

Where do you find your special treasures?
I like browsing second-hand or auction platforms. Our bar stools in the kitchen, for example, come from a Viennese restaurant; I also bought the designer lamp above the cooking island second-hand at a great price. But I also occasionally find treasures at flea markets – during our last holiday in the south of France, three pictures from a weekly market were allowed to travel home with us.

What does living in the kitchen mean to you?
Since we only moved in a few months ago, I can't really answer that yet - however, thanks to the open design, the kitchen is not just a means to an end, but also a place inviting comfort. That was important to me in every space.