![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_hero-852x479.jpg)
Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti builds wooden house with chimney-shaped skylight
In a play on Slovenia's traditional wooden barns, Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti has extruded the shape of a chimney along the top of this house to create a continuous skylight.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x568.jpg)
Ljubljana studio Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti designed the 205-square-metre Chimney House for a couple living in the Slovenian town Logatec.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_8-852x765.jpg)
Clad in oiled larch panels, the gabled residence bears many similarities to local wooden barns. But the volume that pops up and runs along the ridge of the roof offers a distinguishing shape, that is also intended to reference the neighbouring 16th-century church.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_15-852x764.jpg)
"The new, distinctive volumetric identity moves deliberately away from its vernacular neighbour and curiously associates with the nearby 16th-century church creating a dialogue between the two," said the studio, whose other projects include a take on a traditional Slovenian cottage.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_16-852x1478.jpg)
The architects created the shape by extending the chimney from the stove at the centre of the residence along the top. It is fitted with a long window at the top, which brings natural light into the living spaces and offers a dramatic view of the sky.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_29-852x943.jpg)
"The ridge of the roof is pushed apart creating a continuous skylight running throughout the house's linear volume and providing top light for all the crucial spaces," they continued.
Inside, the chimney of the wooden stove is encased by a wide volume clad in blackened metal that forms the dominating feature of the open-plan kitchen and dining room.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_19-852x850.jpg)
This black volume, which extends into the rear space, also houses the bathroom. It acts as a partition between two sets of staircases – one leads to master bedroom on the upper level, while the other to a second bedroom in the basement.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_24-852x783.jpg)
Windows in a variety sizes are cut into the thick walls, creating wide ledges for storage and seating nooks for observing the views.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_5-852x803.jpg)
All the walls and floors of the residence are lined with oiled oak, while the pitched ceiling is covered in board-marked reinforced concrete from which black pendants hang down.
![Chimney House by Dekleva Gregoric Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2017/04/chimney-house-dekleva-gregoric-architects-architecture-residential-houses-slovenia-_dezeen_2364_col_4-852x760.jpg)
Dekleva Gregorič Arhitekti was founded in 2003 by architects Aljoša Dekleva and Tina Gregorič.
Other projects by the studio include the Slovenian Pavilion at the last Venice Architecture Biennale and a metal-recycling plant.
Photography is by Flavio Coddou.
Project credits:
Architects: Dekleva Gregoric Architects
Project team: Aljoša Dekleva, Tina Gregorič, Vid Zabel and Primož Boršič