The stone basin that once served for collecting olive oil has been transformed into a sink that, in its raw and unrefined state, gives a whole new dimension to the modern bathroom.
Written by Jelena Gotovac
House of Gold in the heart of the Istrian peninsula was until recently just one of the old houses in Motovun, but since spring it has been a refuge for those who wish to relax and forget their daily worries. Namely, the House of Gold, recognizable by its golden shutters, has been open to guests since early May. The uniqueness of its interior is owed to Zdenka Gold and Branka Rušnov, who spent a full five months restoring the house to turn it into a small tourist haven. Today, they are true hostesses who welcome their guests with a welcome drink, one of the famous Istrian brandies. – Our clientele consists of friends and their acquaintances, mostly educated young and serious people. Foreign guests find us through our website; they are mostly people traveling through Istria or Croatia who spend one night in Motovun. Often someone knocks on our door, is delighted by the house, and stays overnight with us – highlights Branka.
The house has three rooms; each is named after an Istrian dialect word – Kučar (spoon), Pirun (fork), and Kortel (knife) – and each has its own bathroom, while the living room and dining room are shared spaces for all guests. – We wanted our house to be a pleasant space for relaxation tailored to tourists attracted by cultural offerings. Accordingly, the style of the house is a mix of several directions, all under the common denominator of ‘chill’ – says Zdenka. They aimed to preserve the spirit of the old Istrian home and provide it with a touch of modernity, wrapping the old in a new guise. The walls are thus plastered and painted, with some parts leaving the old stone wall finely processed; white and black prevail with yellow, orange, and red, along with some golden details that make the interior more playful. Each piece of furniture has a different story about how it came to the Motovun house: some are part of family heritage, bought at antique fairs, or gifts from dear people. Even the stone basin that once served for collecting olive oil has been transformed into a sink that, in its raw and unrefined state, gives a whole new dimension to the modern bathroom. Throughout the house, details designed by Booboo are drawn by hand, from the recipe for Istrian fritters in the kitchen to the fat rabbits stealing toilet paper on the sliding doors of the small toilet, and even to the hidden little shoes of Štroliga that a guest, according to legend, must find to be happy all day long.
