Design For Life

This project is still under construction and will be finished at the end of the year. Our client, from Germany, purchased two existing detached but adjacent houses with the purpose of joining them to create a waterfront holiday home. However, they wanted the houses to maintain the possibility to function as two individual units. The two houses were completely gutted with only the existing walls remaining. The houses we joined by a new terrace with a conservatory below it, which was attached to the first house. The outside area has been completely redesigned and when finished will feature a pool, a sundeck, BBQ and landscaped surroundings. Parking is at the back of the property. The property is located in Žaborić, just south of Šibenik.

The apartment in Tonciceva was purchased with the intention of running a rental business with some personal use throughout the year. Based in Canada, the clients engaged the architect Paula Babić to come up with a very stylish looking unit, combining modern & classic features to create a comfortable & homely feel. In turn Paula engaged us to assist with the management and supervision of the project. The apartment is in the center of Split, located on the third floor of a residential building. The apartment needed complete renovation with some structural intervention and for which a building permit was required. All of the equipment, appliances and furniture were purchased in Split with much of it being imported from Italy.
Paula was key in every aspect of this project, especially the design, interior and finishing detail. If you would like to contact Paula regarding architectural work please contact us here. Paula specialises in renovation projects in the old town, and has a superb eye for detail with regard to both design and interior finishes. She combines functionality with stylish design in order to maximise the guest experience. If you are about to partake in a renovation project in town we would highly recommend you get in touch.

Building Services - Design For Life - Project Management - Construction Superivsion - Real Estate Advisory Design For Life is a project management, construction superivsion and real estate advisory specialist working in the central Dalmatian region of Croatia.

We met Robert & Birgit in 2010, when they started looking for a plot of land to build a holiday home in Croatia. During their search we found them one of the last available first row building plots in the Rogoznica area without a road in front. Even better it was at the end of a cul de sac and the plot was square. It was the perfect plot of land for them so they bought it. Robert & Birgit wanted to build a large modern villa with big open areas and as much window space as possible in order to maximise the beautiful view from the house. To complement the modernist style of the villa they wanted a landscaped garden that would add warmth to the look and feel of the property.

Villa R&B is just under 400m2, situated on a 1200m2 plot first row to the sea without a road in front. The villa faces south west and features 4 bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms, a large eat in kitchen, dining area which sits in the middle of a large open gallery in the centre of the house and a large living room. All rooms except the fourth bedroom have fantastic sea views. The interior is modern minimalist using a combination of wood, stone, glass and painted aluminium finishes. The house opens out onto an infinity pool surrounded by teak decking with a summer kitchen and dining area. It is surrounded by a beautifully landscaped garden with a variety of meditteranean, herbs, plants and trees and beautifully cut stone walls border the property. The house was built and designed for personal use.

The house at Nepos 1 was purchased by Vila Nepos a company investing in tourism in Central Dalmatia. The house is situated in one of the most prestigious locations in Split, opposite the Cathedral Sveti Duje by Peristil. The house is spread over 4 floors and was completely derelict needing total reconstrucion from within. The project was of particular interest because the house is believed to have housed the presidential gaurd during the Deocletian period. Furthermore, the central wall running through the property used to be the main east wall of the Deoclitian Palace and still has parts of the original 4th Century wall in tact. Prior to starting the project it was necessary to do a detailed study of the building to indentify all of it's historical elements. Those of importance had to be sanated and presented.

Being located in the heart of the old town, there were several major challenges faced. Firstly, due to the poor state of the building it was necessary to stabilise the existing structure without compromising the neighbouring properties or the original Deocliotian Palace wall; and secondly detailed planning was required to ensure that all of the necessary instalations could be placed. This was because of the lack of pace between the walls and floors due to low ceilings and very thick walls. All of this whilst working within a very confined space on a building that was built and modified many times since the 4th Century.

The house is 470m2 of gross area, with around 320m2 of living space (it has very thick walls !). From this 4 luxury apartments with a reception area and toilet were created. It was necessary to completely gut the house leaving only the existing supporting walls in place and then rebuilding the entire structure and new layout from within. The finish and style is to a high standard with a classical look & feel throughout. It was necessary to obtain a location and a building permit for this project because the house was over 400m2.

The villa was purchased by Vila Nepos a company investing in tourism in Central Dalmatia. The owner of the company Michael wanted to convert the villa from an apartment building into a 5 star luxury villa. The purchase was to compliment another of the companies properties on Peristil in the heart of Split Old Town. The villa is located in Puntinjak, which is in Sumartin on the Island of Brać. This area has become a popular place for high end villas in recent years. Michael wanted the villa to keep its somewhat excentric look but to modernise the interior whilst maintaing a classic look and feel. He also wanted to give the garden a complete overhaul and to add a large shaped swimming pool. He felt it was important to maximise the use of the garden for summer living including different positions around the garden to eat, drink and enjoy the ambience of the villa, it's surroundings and the beautiful sea and mountain views.

The villa has 450m2 in total and is situated on a plot of 1200m2. The villa has 6 bedrooms, 2 of them with ensuites. Whilst the villa has been redesigned as a villa it was decided to include living areas on all three floors to enable families in larger groups to enjoy a bit of privacy / time out if required. All the living areas are connected to wonderful seaview terraces. Given the gradient of the site there are some lovely terraces dotted around the house, each with their own charm. There are several barbeque areas and a dining area covered by a lovely wooden pergola over looking the pool. The interior of the house has a classic look and feel, with tiled & stone flooring throughout. The redesign and new layout of the property meant there were some significant structural alterations and for which a building permit was required.

We met Dave in 2012 when he first purchased the land plot in Sveta Nedjelja. He invested with several friends with the intention of building a villa to run as a business and to use for holidays and short breaks out of season. Set on the hill side in a dramatic location with breathtaking open sea views, the plot was very steep and therefore challenging to work with. Dave's priority was to maximise the view, but to make sure the villa blended in with it's surroundings. Staying within the budget was also a priority. To do this we had to try to retain as much of the original vegetation as possible and try to limit the amount of retaining walls which were necessary to support the structure. This coupled with using stone excavated from site with which to clad supporting walls helped to keep the budget down.

Villa Maia is 150m2, situated on a 900m2 plot. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 with en-suite bathrooms and a combined living, dining & kitchen area which opens out on a fantastic sea view terrace. Below the house is a swimming pool, sun terrace and garden which are built into the hill side with large areas of exposed rock face giving a nice warm / natural feeling to the area. The interior of the house is simple classic, with stone floors and white washed walls throughout. All the furniture for the house was imported from the Czek Republic where Dave is currently living.