H / Botevgrad — A Quiet Barn House by Makeroom Architects
H / Botevgrad stands on the outskirts of Botevgrad, Bulgaria, where Makeroom Architects translate the familiar barn silhouette into a compact contemporary house. The metal-clad shell holds a double-height living core, large south-facing glazing and a warm timber-and-white interior that gathers family life around shared rooms. Inside, simple furnishings and soft textures keep the focus on light, volume and the everyday rhythm of a single household.
Evening light slides across the sheet-metal shell while the tall gable window glows against the grass. Inside, a pale rug, soft sofa and timber stair draw the eye toward the double-height living core.
This compact barn house on the edge of Botevgrad is a single family home by Makeroom Architects, built as a three-sided enclosure with its “missing” side opened to the south. The shell concentrates the private rooms along the less favorable orientations and releases height over the communal heart, where the interior palette of timber, white surfaces and quiet furnishings does the daily work. Light and volume shape the experience here, from the first step inside to the far end of the living room.
Barn Shell Interior
The exterior reads as a classical barn form, wrapped in dark sheet metal that turns the house into a clear, compact volume on the lawn. Toward the garden, the shell peels open into a full-height gable of glazing and timber lining, so the interior feels anchored yet outward-looking. Sliding glass doors run along the south side, linking the living area to a slim terrace and the grass beyond. From outside, warm light spills through this cut-out opening, revealing the simple stair and rafters within.
Light Across The Core
Inside, the double-height living room stretches along the south facade, where the large window collects sunlight through the day and eases the closure on the remaining sides. Sheer curtains soften the edge between interior and garden, so daylight passes through fabric before reaching the pale floor. A neutral sofa sits low against a white wall hung with a calm triptych of landscape paintings, while small poufs on the rug keep the seating loose and flexible. At dusk, a floor lamp and woven pendant add warm pools of light that balance the glow from the tall glass.
Kitchen, Table, Gathering
The kitchen and dining area share the same open volume as the living room, arranged in a simple sequence from terrace to cooking line. A white island with vertical timber slats faces the dining table, so preparation and meals happen within one broad, bright room. Above, rattan pendants hang from the tall ceiling, their texture echoing the timber lining that wraps the upper walls and the underside of the roof. Dark and green dining chairs introduce color without breaking the calm of the largely white and wood palette.
Stair And Upper Level
Along one side, a straight timber stair rises from the living room toward the upper level, its solid balustrade reading as a warm plane against the white walls. The stair edge frames views back to the kitchen and dining table, so movement upstairs keeps a visual link with the activity below. Above the kitchen, clerestory glazing and the high gable window pull light deep into the interior, casting slow-moving shadows across the timber boards. Private rooms tuck into the compact plan behind the barn shell, benefiting from the insulated envelope while leaving the generous volume to shared daily life.
The house ends quietly at the garden, where a single chair and potted plants sit under the overhang of the gable. From this point, the metal cladding, timber lining and glass read as one calm outline against the town beyond. As day turns to night, the interior palette of wood, fabric and soft color steadies the barn form, giving the family a clear, bright core to return to each day.
Photography courtesy of Makeroom Architects
Visit Makeroom Architects
