Dream Home – How Did It All Begin?
Paulina: We both love nature and animals, which is why our home is surrounded by forest on all sides; our beloved dog Aria runs around the yard, and our aristocratic cat, Kitket, rules the house. Our home is bustling with life; we want to preserve this wonderful atmosphere inside and extend it to the surroundings so that we can feel like we’re on vacation on the terrace. You probably know what I mean—even a brief moment of rest turns into true relaxation when we’re surrounded by the view we’ve always dreamed of. There’s a lot of work to do, but when, if not now?
Finishing Touches—Not All at Once
In early spring, we decided quite spontaneously to build new stairs for our house.
The previous ones were typical construction stairs, and there’s no denying they didn’t look very impressive.
The house and its surroundings aren’t finished yet, and we’re still figuring out what style and atmosphere to go for on our patio and in our garden. This raises many questions: what product will be neutral enough to fit into any style? We’re definitely looking for something durable, easy to maintain, and at the same time classic—so as not to limit our options for future finishing touches. A phased approach to the project also has many advantages.
They say that when you build your first house, you learn along the way and then see what you could have done better. We wanted to avoid that, and breaking the design process down into stages definitely gives us more time to think things through and test the selected products under all conditions.
It all started with the stairs
After much thought, we decided on stairs made of Polbruk pavers.
There are currently many different patterns, colors, and sizes of paving stones, so it wasn’t an easy choice. We opted for a classic paving stone model Polbruk Nostalite with a gently rounded shape, and we chose it in graphite.
In our opinion, it fits the style of our house perfectly, not only in color but also in shape.
It blends in perfectly with the surroundings and complements our home’s facade beautifully. It reflects what we like—classic, soft, rounded shapes and ease of maintenance.
We’re very happy with it.
The Terrace—The Next Step in Our Vision
We plan to finish our terrace this fall. For better or worse, our terrace is quite large. It’s about 40 square meters, which is why we’d rather not go with the same paving stones but instead opt for decking boards, which lend large spaces an elegant character.
We’re currently in the selection phase and are considering which model of patio slabs will best suit our style and home.
On our patio, we want to create a barbecue area with a table and chairs for guests, as well as a coffee corner where we can sit in the summer and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee.
On our own or with a designer?
We really wanted to get the opinion of someone who knows about designing surfaces and small-scale architecture, so we took advantage of the free design service at Polbruk.
Before long, we arranged for a delightful visit from an architect, who was a huge help in designing—and, in fact, bringing to life—the vision for our terrace that suits us best and meets all our expectations.
We didn’t know ourselves what solutions would be best for us—we were certain we wanted to lay large-format slabs on the patio, since the area is quite spacious. After talking with the architect, we now know that many concrete elements can be used for a DIY project around the house to create our dream barbecue area, which will fit the style of our property.
What does the design look like?
Our terrace design turned out brilliantly. We received a drawing with estimated quantities of the products we selected. We also have an idea for landscaping the slope where the patio is located. We already know we’ll be able to beautifully plant it—the low wall at Albero
complements our vision perfectly. For the patio itself, we chose Lamell
—large-format, thin slabs.
Thanks to these slabs, the terrace won’t cause any problems in the winter—it will be durable and weather-resistant. During the warmer months, it will serve as a great spot for relaxation and get-togethers with friends.
Why Polbruk?
Why did we choose Polbruk pavers specifically? Because it’s a company we’ve known for years, and our parents and friends have used their products. The patio and stairs—and perhaps the garden in the future—will beautifully complement the home we’re constantly working on. We want this space, built up over the years, to reflect who we are and our taste, while also serving as a backdrop for accessories—which are the easiest to change—to achieve a quick makeover.
