BOX barn renovation
At first glance, a barn; at second glance, a finished home. An open space spanning two floors up to the rafters, brick floors, wood. A black facade and white interior instead of hay and dust. And why do we call it BOX? It’s a Barn by OOOOX!
Black on the outside, white on the inside
The main concept is simple: black on the outside, white on the inside. The original structure remains exposed, including the slanted strut that unabashedly crosses the large window and serves as a reminder of what once stood here. Wood takes center stage both inside and out; the floor made of cut bricks in the style of attic rooms gives the space a slightly “barn-like” roughness, and the brick partition simply follows its grid.
The facade looks like a solid barn—planks with exposed battens, nothing too dramatic. The windows in the gable are hidden behind continuous strips, so they almost disappear from the side. The large windows on the ground floor utilize the original opening left by the doors; instead of double doors, they now feature solid wooden shutters in the same style as the facade. So from the outside, it’s “still a barn,” but inside, it’s clearly a house.
Open space
The goal was to preserve the open space across two floors up to the roof trusses so that the barn would not lose its volume. On the sides are narrow floors connected by a wooden walkway, from which one can see both down and into the roof structure. The railing—both solid and mesh—is designed with children and retired dogs in mind, but also works with views: the solid section in the middle tends to enclose the space, while the mesh sections at the edges open it up.
The layout is based on the original roof truss, so the size of the individual rooms is largely “fixed”—whether it’s the sleeping levels, the entrance, or the podium. The podium serves as a staircase landing and, at the same time, as hidden storage space that in no way disrupts the overall clean lines of the interior.
A kitchen without upper cabinets
The kitchen has two sections. The visible section features only base cabinets, with no upper cabinets and no other elements on the wall. A clean kitchen layout, a white backsplash behind the countertop, and nothing extra. The second part of the kitchen is hidden behind a partition—a shelving and rod system for food, dishes, and everything that needs to be within reach but not necessarily in plain sight.
Dining room
The focal point of the ground floor is the dining room with its large table. The table’s base is made of plumbing pipes, and the tabletop complements the industrial character of the entire barn. The white metal chairs work both indoors and outdoors; in winter, they are covered with sheepskin and look like a completely different piece of furniture.
There is no traditional living room here. Instead, there is seating in front of the stove, a reading nook on a raised platform, and a bookshelf formed by the exposed beams of the structure itself. Fewer couches, more atmosphere.
A chrome-free bathroom
Given the size of the house, the bathroom is combined with the toilet, but the shower and the vanity unit make full use of the room’s depth, so it doesn’t feel cramped. We deliberately omitted modern chrome and stainless steel—the faucets are made of rubberized bronze, and the stone sink echoes the materials found naturally in the house’s surroundings.
The shower is separated by a partition in a white frame reminiscent of a factory window. The walls feature French metro-style tiles, and the floor has tiles imitating old bleached wood. The long countertop under the sink allowed us to use pendant lights, which aren’t exactly common in bathrooms, but create a soft, pleasant light instead of classic “bathroom” lighting.
Renovations that make sense.
For us, this barn renovation is proof that even a dilapidated farm building can offer a rich atmosphere and high-quality living space. Are you curious about how we approach interior projects like this? Read more about it here in the section RENOVATIONS—it’s our favorite discipline.
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from Radka - 21. 4. 2026