A hillside plot with a view

In the tiny village of Weibnitz in Lower Austria, the Cherry House occupies a family-owned slope marked by a decades-old cherry tree. Positioned on the village’s southern edge, the site borders spruce forests and opens toward the distant Rax-Schneeberg mountains. The rural setting and modest scale called for a simple, enduring structure that aligns with the agricultural character of its surroundings.

Elongated form with purpose

Steinbauer and Kaltenbacher Architektur designed a single-story timber volume under a pitched roof, resting on a concrete base. A black-framed entrance on the east connects to a mirrored garden exit on the west, both aligned along the building’s central axis. Carefully placed openings frame views of the landscape, with the corner loggia expanding the living space outward. A central fireplace offers both separation and warmth.

Framed views and quiet zones

The layout clearly distinguishes public and private areas. To the south lies the open living space and loggia, while the north holds the bedrooms and bathroom. A horizontal kitchen window stretches the full length of the countertop, framing forest and mountain views like a landscape painting. The children’s room sits just beneath the canopy of the cherry tree.

Simple materials, rich contrasts

The facade of dark-ebonized spruce echoes the surrounding woods, contrasted by a bright interior of oiled spruce windows and brushed oak floors. The restrained material palette reinforces the home’s quiet clarity—an architectural response grounded in place and memory.

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