Birchtree Farmhouse

Stefan, despite having grown up as a city kid, had always dreamed of a countryside escape, somewhere he could run a farm and live off the land. Once a Berlin bar owner, architect Stefan has now successfully transitioned into the role of countryman with an impressive farm to his name. Birchtree farmhouse is sublime; a real bolthole near the Polish border in the northern Uckermark that offers the perfect escape from hectic city life. When Stefan came across the abandoned farmhouse, its barns were still full of troughs for animal feed, plants had grown through the stables and the living quarters were a bit worse-for-wear.

Stefan saw through all of this, which is lucky for us, as he transformed the buildings into hyper-modern, open houses that still contain nods to the buildings’ former lives. Much of the furniture, such as beds and dining tables, has been made using wood from the area that would have otherwise been used for firewood. Each of the two houses has a huge open living space, complete with a wood-burning fire and a huge kitchen, perfect for cooking up feasts. But the pièce de résistance is the garden sauna, with its sprawling terrace and huge glass windows. This is the dictionary definition of the perfect group getaway.