Situated in the heart of the town, right above the market and the bakery, the house makes part of a picturesque landscape descending from the medieval fortress. From the waterfront parking lot, a short walk up the rather uneven stone steps will bring you to the west-facing entrance to the property. Crossing over the threshold engraved with Kuća Kamena sign, you will enter the 15 m² large terrace, shaded by a mature grapevine.
The terrace separates the house from the bathroom/toilet and it unfolds to the lower level terrace of 9 m².
Double doors entrance leads you into the ground floor of the house. 25m² open spaces unifies living and kitchen areas. For colder days a narrow wood-burning stove is integrated into the kitchen. Opposite the kitchen, at the far end, is a couch that also serves as an additional double bed (155cm x 200cm).
Old wooden staircase guides the steps to the upper floor. From the stairs one steps into the “Writer’s Room”. Another wood-burning stove, this one against the stone wall is a visual centrepiece of this space. A partition wall separates the “Writer's Room" from the master bedroom. The furniture in this room originates from the late nineteenth century.
The property continues passing the lower terrace, descending a further set of stairs, passing the utility/laundry room, path leads into a deep shaded garden. Arched gates at the end of the garden lead back onto a village passageway.
Kuća in Croatian means “a house”. However this Kuća is more houses that coexist in one project. Three houses that retell three different stories using similar architectural expressions that roots heavily in local traditional architecture. As a project my attempt is to generate a holiday architecture that would fit into a sleepy coastal town without waking it up. They are all located in the vicinity of one another in the historic centre of Novigrad, a small forgotten Dalmatian town. on the Croatian Adriatic coast.
The houses have their origins in the sixteenth century, but exist in their current form since the mid-nineteenth Century. Since then multiple renovations took place in different houses in different times. All three of the houses stood abandoned, partly damaged, since the end of the war in 1990's.
Great care was taken to add contemporary flair to the houses, without competing with the old. Imperfections in the original structure were not erased, but rather accented using locally reclaimed materials, retaining the special character of a particular house. Since Novigrad's historic centre is under the protection of the Ministry of Culture because of its specific urban architecture and historical importance, the rules and restrictions imposed by them were fully respected and applied in the renovation process.
I've painstakingly restored them that each of their separate histories is taken into consideration. Not just the way they were built but also the way they were lived. Exactly the second had more influence in today's design. To me restoring an abandoned house is all about discovering their stories and somehow to try to build it back into the structure. This archeological hunt of the non material stories generated storytelling fixed structure in the present.
These houses now tell new stories but are built of the old stones and old stories.
Kuća Kamena is made for slow living. It follows the pace of the sleepy small town around it. Location determines a rhythm and Novigrad does not support any upper pace. This way the house that was predominately home for the ones in my family who lived slow, or for slow holidays. It is still today. This house is a home of slow.
The house has been designed to map sensations deeply seeded in the structure: sounds, smells and shadows. I went distance and made some compromises in comfort to preserve them. By preserving these intangible elements of the architecture, I have managed, in turn, to preserve some of my strongest childhood memories.
These photos were taken a day before starting renovation of the house.
The works initiated in November 2011 and in the spring of 2014 the house was finished. However the works on the structure were happening in short stints with rather longer time gaps between them.
For more info about the renovation process, please follow the provided link where you will find a progress blog about it, written during the process.
At the start of the project I was an interdisciplinary visual artist and somebody's nephew. I've entered the renovation of my uncle's (family) house equipped only by things learned in art academies and odd jobs I've done along the way.
Now, I'm an artist who does houses as a creative expression. I've blended my interests in society, traditional architecture, storytelling, concept development, design, material and various crafts into this project.
For something that really is done by hand, an incredible amount of different knowledge and skills one had to gain to work on these projects. Along the way I've acquired a group of idealistic individuals with whom I could learn and exchange knowledge, discuss ideas and make new stories. From stone carving to 3D scanning of the structures, everything is at grasp with Joško Dujić, Jadran Anzulović, Tim Stolzenburg and Tom de Gay at the heart of making together. However, many other wonderful "hands" helped us get here; by carrying stones up the narrow pathways, by building wooden kayaks, or by being that person who helps you feel as coming back home.
Since starting the project, I've moved countries multiple times. I had to learn working on the project from elsewhere with short construction stints on site. This has slowed down the process but has made it international through the merits of materials, works and people joining in. Although falling rightly into the traditional architecture category, design wise the project is truly an international puzzle composition.
For example, a Brazilian and an English friend installing a vintage bathtub from France in one of the houses, that another friend restored in Berlin...
Novigrad (Dalmatia) is a “once upon a town”, the most beautiful of Croatia's four Novigrads. Tucked away on the banks of a secluded fjord, it is famous for its fishing and for the fact that it is, in fact, not famous.
Originally surrounded by a city wall that, in some parts, is still visible, Novigrad was a safe harbour for many centuries. With the passage of time Novigrad's importance has diminished, and nowadays it is a town with only 542 permanent residents.
The road leading to Novigrad ends there. This ensures that Novigrad stays secluded and preserves the life it holds within its boundaries. In summer, its proximity to the sea makes it a lively place to be. Most of the city's tourism is made up of former residents returning to visit relatives. This creates a unique feeling to the place, different from any other coastal town along the stretch of the Croatian Adriatic coast, usually characterised by a kind of "drive through" tourism.
Regardless of its cultural heritage status, Novigrad has evolved into an interesting patchwork of old stone houses and odd new adaptations. This situation can be linked to the war in the 1990s. During and after the occupation, all of Novigrad's houses were damaged and looted. Returning to Novigrad after the war, architectural heritage was, understandably, not the townspeople's top priority. Re-establishing life meant temporary not-so-nice repairs that in some cases became permanent.
Novigrad's location is what has kept it special throughout time: typically coastal yet tucked away in the continent with a mountain holding its back...
The following link leads to the GoogleMap of the area, featuring many places of interest.
We hope you'll find something suitable for yourself:
This calendar is an availability preview only and bookings can be made exclusively by emailing. Green is booked.
Rental season is April - November.
Minimum rental period is one week unless there is a time period shorter than a week locked between already booked periods.
01/04/2024–31/05/2024
30/09/2024–01/11/2024
The house rental is 95 € per night + 80 € one off cleaning fee.
01/06/2024–29/09/2024
The house rental is 150 € per night + 80 € one off cleaning fee.
44°10'50.40"N 15°32'57.17"E
There are four Novigrads in Croatia. This one is the oldest one, but no longer the most famous or easy to find. To avoid any confusion, please use the coordinates above.
The Novigrad you are looking for is Novigrad Dalmatia, with the postal code 23312.
It is 30 km away from the region's capital, Zadar, and about the same distance to the closest airport (ZAD - Zadar Airport).
It is recommended to have a car at disposal in order to take full advantage of the region's beauty. However Novigrad can also be reached by plane, bus or bicycle.
When arriving by car via the A1 highway, take Exit 16 - Posedarje. Turn right onto road D106 and after 1 km turn right again onto the E8, direction Zadar. Only 1 km later turn left onto Stari Put. Novigrad is signposted at this junction. Simply follow the road for the next 10 km and you will reach Novigrad.
Distances from Novigrad to closest cities that have airports:
Zadar 30 km
Zagreb 270 km
Split 160 km
Rijeka 230 km
Zadar Airport is served by many airlines during the high season. For more flying options, especially during a period out the main season, the airports in Zagreb and Split provide additional destinations. Many car rentals companies are available at any of these airports.
The rental price includes: pillows, duvet covers, bedding and towels.
The house has a fully fitted kitchen. Kitchen equipment includes:
+ Refrigerator with freezer
+ Oven
+ Glass ceramic cooker
+ Kettle
+ Moka pot
+ Cookware, crockery and cutlery
+ Dishtowels and dish soap
A washing machine is at your disposal in the laundry/utility room.
On a request a baby bed can be provided, as well as a highchair (Stokke Tripp Trapp).
There is an old record player in the house with a quirky selection of old LP classics.
The house has WiFi.
For the winter days, the house is equipped with two wood burning stoves, one on each floor.
The house has no air condition and no TV.
During the summer months, Novigrad has a few restaurants that serve regional food like fresh seafood, ham, cheese and various other dishes.
There are also some cafés and bars where you can endlessly drink coffee, beer and wine.
If you want to cook at home and enjoy your dinner on the terrace you can buy fresh vegetables and fruits (on some days also fish, eggs and honey) just under the terrace at the local market. For basic products like milk, bread and sugar there are two smaller supermarkets. There is also a bakery next to the market. You will wake up each day to the smell of freshly baked bread.
Fresh meat and fish can be bought in Posedarje, a village 10 kilometres from Novigrad. In Posedarje there are also supermarkets with a wider range of products. You will find large shopping malls and chain stores on the way to Zadar and in the city itself.
Please use the communication form to the left to contact us via email.
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+49 152 03044625
Tom de Gay / all the house photos, details, town photos
Michael Kutschbach / town photos
Steve Bielschowsky / town photos, portrait
These people have always been friends/family or have become along the way:
Enisej Anzulovic, Lara Kajmak, Annette Reuther, Milić Škorić, Nikola Jurišić, Steve Bielschowsky, Marko Zelenika, Neda Anzulović, Ferdo Petešić, Lovre Katalinić, Jadran Anzulović, Anastazija Magaš, Hrvoje Medanić, Neno Rimanić, Ivica Perović, Jeremy Wood, Zenon, Baron Horndasch, Tim Stolzenburg, Joško Dujić, Vanja Sabić, Damir Šarac, Frane Sinovčić, Hedi and Willi Reuther, Vinko Kajmak, Mirko i Marinko Dujić, Mikey Kutschbach, Dragan Čeranić, Timo Nasseri, Mason Juday, Krešo Kovacevic, Igor Sehić, Tom de Gay, Stanko Žnidaršić, Niko Čeranić, Marjan Ado i Domo, Goldy Anzulović, Stipe Tokić, Sebastian Feucht, Antonija Čeranić, Urlaubsarchitektur.
Ria, Pep, Marin i Alvaro
Copyright © 2020 Boris Kajmak. All rights reserved.
