EDITOR ' S CHOICE
THE GLASS CABIN
In the sunshine it glistens like a marble . From the front , an inconspicuous cabin , one of the last ones before you arrive at Jizerka .
But the other side of the building reveals that something extraordinary has transpired here . Behind the curtain of the original cabin , a glittering glass extension has sprung up and the house is ripe for the next act of its play .
The cabin has stood here , in a meadow in the Jizera Mountains , for over a hundred years . The world around it has changed since it was built from the timber and granite of the surrounding forests . Two world wars had swept through Europe , the Czech Republic through the dark period of communism and the frenzied post-revolution years . Humanity had managed to land on the moon , which today continues to shine over the meadow behind the cabin as if nothing had happened . Even the mushrooms in the forest behind the house are still growing and the birds are chirping like mad in the mornings . The world has become faster and more connected , but some things remain the same .
The mornings here are beautiful . Dewdrops glisten on cobwebs in the clearing outside the windows , and the cold kitchen floor welcomes the early birds in the sitting room . Wood cracks in the fire , tea brews on the stove . We refurbished the house with the future in mind , but at the same time , we didn ' t feel like letting go of all the wonderful , wild and unwieldy aspects of its past . It was essential that we didn ' t strip the cabin of its intangible soul , the fragrance of the timber and the stark chill of the granite blocks . We kept what we could . What remained , we ' ve complemented with a new quality that doesn ' t seek to compete with the past .
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