In Poland, there are still places that embody values that need no explanation. A lake within a quiet zone, a forest, a marina, your own home, and Warsaw close enough to visit even for just one evening. In Kalborni, on Lake Dąbrowa Wielka, only five ready-to-move-in homes remain available. The architecture is the work of Boris Kudlička with Partners, a firm that, rather than adding yet another story to the landscape, allows the landscape itself to take center stage.
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A second home doesn’t always mean a villa in Andalusia or an apartment on the French Riviera. Increasingly, the luxury lies in the ability to escape the city, even if just for a weekend—without an airport, unnecessary delays, or travel planning. All it takes now is your own address in Masuria—one you don’t have to mark on your calendar several weeks in advance. You can set out from Warsaw or the Tri-City after breakfast, and two hours later, open your terrace overlooking the lake.
On the banks of the Dąbrowa Wielka River, this way of thinking has already taken shape. Kalbornia Mazury was established as a private community of year-round homes. Owners and their guests have access to a marina with a clubhouse, a pier, and a private beach. When designing the architecture, Boris Kudlička with Partners tailored their vision to what they found here long before: the water, the topography, the light, and the surrounding forests. The lake on which the homes are situated is designated as a quiet zone, and its water is classified as first-class in terms of purity.
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In Kalborna, the architects made the landscape the central focus.
The houses are contemporary but free of ostentation. Their architecture is based on the juxtaposition of two sections. The living area, with its living room and kitchen, is distinguished by a light-colored wooden facade and nearly seven-meter-high glass walls that open the interior onto the lake and the surrounding vegetation. The more intimate section, housing two bedrooms and bathrooms, is enclosed within a dark structure that provides a greater sense of privacy. This contrast also defines the house from the outside. Natural materials, terraces, and large glass walls ensure that the architecture does not try to assert its presence at all costs. It is meant to allow the eye to look beyond— say the architects from Boris Kudlička with Partners about Kalborni.
The gardens created around the houses are a new element of the landscape. Rather than clearly marking the boundaries of private lots, they gently blend architecture with nature. Over time, they are meant to become an increasingly natural part of this place. 44
We didn’t want to design gardens that cut the houses off from their surroundings. That’s why, instead of organizing nature, we tried to follow its lead, maintaining an openness to the water, the forest, and the spectacular views. “The less the designer’s hand is visible, the better,” adds Piotr Garbacki from the Department of Green Spaces.
On the waterfront, high on a hill, or among the trees
Only the last five homes from the first phase of the development—ranging in size from 78 to 106 m²—are still available for new owners. Each stands on its own spacious lot and is in direct contact with nature. The 106-meter house on the waterfront is the closest to the water. Just a few steps are all it takes to dive into the lake. The next two homes, measuring 106 and 92 m², are situated slightly higher up on a hill. Instead of direct proximity to the water, they offer spectacular views, more open space, and a natural sense of seclusion.
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Another home, with an area of 85.5 m², almost blends into the forest while still offering a view of Dąbrowa Wielka. The surrounding greenery creates a natural screen, giving the garden and terrace a particularly private atmosphere. The smallest of the available homes is 78 m² and comes fully furnished. If you decide to buy it, you won’t need to order or furnish anything.
The interior of the model home actually begins right outside the window. The lake’s surface, the sand, the grain fields, and the forest inspired our palette of colors and textures. Against this backdrop, we combined iconic 1960s design with contemporary Polish craftsmanship,” says Krzysztof Ryński, co-founder of Maybel.
From the Metropolitan Opera to a house on a Masurian lake
Boris Kudlička with Partners is behind the architectural concept for Kalborni. The studio’s portfolio includes luxury residential and commercial interiors in Poland and abroad, including Warsaw’s Raffles Europejski, private residences, and projects carried out in Switzerland and Qatar, among other places. Boris Kudlička himself moves between architecture, design, art, and theater, and has extensive experience collaborating with opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Grand Theater—National Opera in Warsaw, and the Vienna State Opera. Hisarchitectural expertise is, of course, evident in Kalborni. He does not view design solely as the composition of forms and functions. The starting point is always the atmosphere of a place and the way it will be experienced.
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Off the Beaten Path
Kalborna is located in Western Masuria, in a part of the region that has retained its peaceful, somewhat less obvious character. It is surrounded by forests and the Dylewskie Hills, and the local landscape naturally lends itself to horseback riding, sailing, yoga, bike rides, and long walks. A few kilometers away lies Dąbrówno, a town with over seven hundred years of history, and a little further on are the Grunwald Fields. It’s also worth visiting the small farms and local producers, where you can go to buy cheese or fresh fish—or simply to enjoy a good dinner.
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One of the greatest pleasures of having your own place in Kalborna is that you can simply “recharge your batteries” here. In the summer, start the day with a swim in the lake; in the fall, watch the mist rising over the water; in the winter, light a fire in the fireplace and go for a long walk through the forest. No plans and no special occasion needed. Because a second home takes on real meaning when it stops being a place you go to and starts being a place you’re happy to return to.
More information: www.kalborniamazury.pl
