A KONTIO Nalle log cabin west of Prague

A Nalle timber cabin a short distance from Prague

Not far from Prague's Dejvice district lies a small village where Pavla owns a modest plot of land in what used to be an allotment colony. Pavla spent most of her life living in Prague, in a small apartment in a tenement building, looking out her windows onto the main Evropská avenue and the surrounding prefab-panel housing. At the start of the new millennium, a decision was made to allow family homes to be built on the site of the former allotment colony — a decision that changed Pavla's life. An enterprising woman and a lover of animals and nature, she realised she no longer wanted to spend most of her time in a small apartment, and decided to have a house built on a plot in this family-garden area.

As a lover of natural materials, Pavla initially planned to build a classic, smaller round-log cabin. She reconsidered her choice of round logs after coming across KONTIO's website while researching log-home options online, browsing their range of timber homes, and deciding to have her dream home built instead from glue-laminated beams made of Finnish Arctic pine. "Homes built from this material captivated me with their aesthetics and wonderful properties — even though it's a traditional material like wood, they feel modern and cosy at the same time," says Pavla.

Pavla wanted a smaller house, around 50 m², and that's exactly what she found in the Nalle collection of timber cabins. The Nalle 50 cabin's floor area met Pavla's requirements for living space, and together with KONTIO's experts she had the interior layout designed to suit her personal needs. A timber veranda running the full length of the front of the house is ideal for sitting out in the evening, watching the sunset.

The main room of the house is, without question, the living room combined with the kitchen. The beams inside were finished with a light, milky-white stain, so despite its modest size the interior feels bright and airy.

The simple bedroom is furnished with pieces made from natural materials and is beautifully bright, thanks to a large floor-to-ceiling window.

Pavla is full of praise for how quickly her new home was built — just six months after signing the contract, she was able to move in. "Given that I'm a complete layperson when it comes to construction, and I'm also very busy with work, I wasn't able to monitor the progress and quality of the build myself. I have to give huge credit to KONTIO for delivering the highest-quality material for the house, and I mustn't forget to praise the building company that assembles KONTIO homes either, because the build went smoothly and all my questions and comments about the construction were answered and dealt with willingly," says Pavla.

You can see more photos of this pleasant, cosy home in the gallery below.