Frame House is a family home that appears carved from a solid block
This new home for a young family, Frame House makes the most of its suburban Ljubljana site with a design that offers covered play spaces, terraces and multifunctional rooms

OFIS’ Frame House, a newly completed family home in the Ljubljana suburb of Trnovo, is a shingle-clad venture into the deconstruction of the archetypal family house. The architects were tasked with building a three-bedroom home that would accommodate an existing garden on the site, as well as bicycle storage and a carport.
Frame House by OFIS Architects, Ljubljana, 2024
Frame House: a home carved for its site
It was the last element that drove the shape of the new house. Instead of a modest structure set alongside the main house, the carport is accommodated within the footprint, a soaring double-height space that serves as a covered play area in inclement weather.
Garden façade, Frame House by OFIS Architects, Ljubljana, 2024
The façade is hung with the same red brick tiles used on the roof, giving the entire structure a uniform appearance, with the voids and openings appearing as if carved out of a solid block. In certain spots the tiles themselves are hung in a perforated pattern to allow light into the service areas, such as the upstairs utility room and walk-in wardrobe.
Perforations in the tiled façade allow light in
The canopy also directs people to the main entrance, alongside a newly planted tree with its own dedicated skylight to accommodate its future growth. The entrance, which adjoins the bike store, reveals a view through the house to the garden beyond, with a kitchen and dining area to the right and the main living space to the left.
The kitchen facade with its covered terrace
The monumental staircase, clad in wood with open risers, serves as a room divider for the open-plan ground floor, screening a small office space from the informal seating. There’s also a drop-down bed in this space to double up as a guest bedroom.
The main living space with the staircase divider beyond
This shared functionality helped keep the 324 sq m project under budget, as did elements such as the stairs, which double as book shelves. The kitchen is surrounded by decking, some of which is shielded by the first floor to provide a covered outdoor seating area.
A covered terrace is accessed from the bedroom corridor on the first floor
Upstairs, there are three bedrooms, one of which is ensuite, along with a family bathroom, utility room and enclosed roof terrace, accessed via sliding glass doors. Broad timber plank flooring is used throughout, with blackened timber on the exterior service areas to contrast with the red tiles.
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Staircase detail, Frame House by OFIS Architects, Ljubljana, 2024
OFIS arhitekti was founded by Rok Oman and Špela Videčnik in 2000. Located in Ljubljana, the studio’s previous projects include a Hotel in Slovenia; the Catwalk House, shaped with its feline residents in mind; and a mountain shelter in the Kamnik Alps.
Frame House by OFIS Architects, Ljubljana, 2024
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
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