Connecting with nature in a modern way

There are places that breathe history and people are trying to restore their past glory and preserve their message. And then there are those that are new, and are just starting their "life", but are already full of stories and references. To the past and roots. See the modern form of cottage passion with tradition, but modern, with everything that the present time has to offer. Each of us sometimes needs a change of environment, to gain distance, to come up with different ideas, to spend more time with family and friends. The Woodpark.sk cottage project in the Valčianská dolina near Martin could be your goal. The idea for it originated in the minds of two friends, Rasť and Peter, who decided to build a place full of comfort just below the ski lift.

"The main idea of ​​the cottages was a connection with nature, which is why one entire wall is glass. Another goal was to incorporate traditional Slovak elements with a message into a modern space," says Peter's wife Lucia, an interior designer who took care of how the cottages look. The spacious living room combined with a large dining table provides enough space for families with children and groups of friends. "They are the ones who come to us most often, but we also host various birthday parties, bachelor parties and even weddings. We have had several of them here. And we can also arrange the space so that there is enough space for presentations during teambuilding or for exercising during yoga stays," says Rasťo.

A fully equipped kitchen allows guests to cook, and they also have a kettle for goulash or a grill at their disposal. Especially in the summer, guests spend a lot of time in the gazebo. But if they really want to just enjoy themselves, they can use the services of a private chef, who will prepare a tasting dinner for them and they will leave not only relaxed, but also full of experiences for all the senses. Wine lovers will certainly be pleased with the wine cellar full of carefully selected wines from a small family winery. There are three bedrooms and one bathroom upstairs, the second one is downstairs. In total, 10 guests can be accommodated in one cottage. And if more of you come, you can book two cottages.

Same, but different

The Olejkárka Cottage, which owes its name to the rich history of oil production in Turec, hosted its first visitors at Christmas 2018. "The door-to-door merchants - oil producers traveled almost all of Europe with their medicinal oils. Juniper, fir and caraway oil and turpentine from pine resin were very popular in the world and the fame of the Turec oil producers was rising," explains Lenka, Rasť's wife, which inspired them to name the cottage. They also wanted to preserve the spirit of nature and locality in their names. A year later, the Slovianka cottage, inspired by the nearby Slovianská Valley, was built right next door. It has the same floor plan and equipment, but it has a completely different character. The main feature of the facility is the antlers, which are a reference to the deer and stags living around. In addition to them, the cottage also has many detailed patterns on the furniture that carry messages. "The ornaments have flowers, hearts symbolizing love, family, protection... We also looked for typical ornaments in Turec, but we didn't find any specific ones. That's why we chose a simple symbolism that we wanted to bring here," says Lucia.

The walls in Slovianka also tell their story. "My grandfather was a painter all his life. The rollers he used served as a mold for the wall patterns. We did it with an unusual technique that is no longer common today, but it worked. We applied plaster, glue, and pressed the pattern from the rollers into it. We wanted it to be different from the paintings that used to be on the walls, and we achieved that by making the pattern 3D. We are glad that our grandfather's legacy is here with us," smiles Peter.

No chance of boredom

For guests who like more active relaxation, the owners have prepared a book full of tips for trips in the area - more demanding and less demanding, for children and cyclists... Everything is clearly arranged, including photos and tips on how to get to the place. "We have personally completed all the routes and trips. We really wanted to recommend something that we have experienced and visited ourselves. And we have really good feedback from guests on these tips," says Lenka, who is in charge of the "bedeker" and events. We would like to thank the Woodpark.sk project for providing space for the photo shoot of our new Autumn/Winter 2024 collection . You can find behind-the-scenes footage in this article . Models: Tomáš Stopa , Marek Bernát , Pavol Ewžen Adamkovič Alain Delon photo collection: Richard Autner Photo of the huts: Michal Zajaček , Martin Mondok