Carpe Diem was never meant to be a modern “lakeside villa”. From the very beginning the idea was to build a house that would feel naturally at home in Masuria (the Masurian Lake District).
That is why the project leans on timber, a quiet silhouette and a dark facade. Many of the old Masurian houses were dark too — at times almost black with tar and time.
The house was built from spruce logs. It is a conscious nod to the oldest layer of local architecture, before brick buildings came to dominate Masuria.
The proportions of the building matter just as much. The roof sweeps low, and the silhouette stays calm, never trying to dominate its surroundings.
You will not find vast floor-to-roof glazing at Carpe Diem. The windows are more restrained and rhythmical, closer to the way the traditional Masurian house used to be built.
The carved wooden details in the gables are another important touch. They echo the traditional Masurian carved gable trim — the lacy fretwork once made by local carpenters.
Inside, the house is modern and comfortable. On the outside, however, it was meant to remain part of the landscape rather than an architectural statement.
This is not an open-air museum, and it does not pretend to be one. It holds a quiet dialogue with the way houses have been built in this part of Masuria for generations.