ateliercetrei, written in one word in lowercase letters, is a partnership practicing architecture, interior architecture, design, urban planning and cultural analysis bringing together academia, design research and professional practice. The one word stands for unity, while the lowercase letters are meant to offer a nod to the Bauhaus notion of a non-hierarchical language, reinforcing our ethos of democratic partnership.

In 2021, during an interview about our project, Viila Cheia, Anamaria declared, “…because thrifty people never rest on their laurels, Iosif and Laura are envisioning new places to delight your soul and enchant your eyes, places to which we shall also contribute our expertise and all of our heart.” The new project reflects the desire of Laura and Iosif to continue the story that began with Viila Cheia and to add on to a space that honors tradition while embracing contemporaneity.Three years later, ateliercetrei is pleased to present LIV House, a new addition to Iosif and Laura’s property in the village of Cheia. Since Viila Cheia began as a singular project, a guesthouse in an orchard, and not as part of a complex or ensemble, the main challenge for LIV House was how this new building would harmoniously integrate into the existing space. It was to engage in a dialogue with the guesthouse and the orchard on one hand, and with the village on the other. In this regard, the choice of location within the orchard represented one of the main challenges of the project. The chosen site is located close to the entrance from the village, in an area with a natural slope and a plateau in a clearing that opens towards the entire orchard and the sun all throughout the day. The house envelops itself around this space, that is at present the living room, unfolding along the natural slope of the land. The rules that guided the project were natural and authentic: adaptation to the natural slope and the connection of most interior spaces with the orchard, the creation of an interior-exterior transition space inspired by a traditional porch, the use of local construction materials, the form of the traditional house volume. All of these, along with Laura and Iosif’s attention to detail, have given rise to a contemporary place deeply rooted in archaic traditional values: a “house in the orchard.”