KWK promes encloses interior garden within triangular ‘trim house’ in vilnius

rethinking suburban living in Vilnius

Trim House by KWK Promes is a single-family house in a suburban district of Vilnius characterized by forested plots and traces of interwar wooden homes. Designed following a closed competition in 2016, the project responds to a site once occupied by modest timber structures that have since disappeared, leaving behind a loose pattern of development among trees and open ground.

From the outset, the architects approached the house as a negotiation between presence and landscape. The surrounding vegetation and recreational character of the neighborhood guided decisions about massing and orientation. Early proposals already explored lifting part of the concrete volume to introduce light deeper into the plan, while preserving a direct connection to the garden.

images © Jakub Certowicz

kwk promes trims the footprint

During the design process of the Trim House, a change in local regulations introduced new constraints for KWK Promes. The allowable building footprint was reduced by half, and the driveway was repositioned so that access now cuts through the garden. These shifts required a substantial revision of the scheme. Rather than relocating the project, the architects chose to adapt it in place.

‘We managed to persuade the client to stay with the original plot and reduce the house’s area,‘ the team explains. ‘The limitations became an opportunity to refine the concept.‘ The revised plan contracts into a triangular geometry, a direct response to both the reduced footprint and the altered approach to the site.

Trim House by KWK Promes sits within a wooded suburban district of Vilnius

interiors look onto a sunlit garden

The Trim House organizes its spaces around a central patio that draws daylight into the interior. This open void works together with the living area to extend the garden into the house, creating a continuous spatial field that shifts gradually between inside and outside. The ground floor remains closely tied to the terrain, while the raised portion introduces variation in section.

By lifting part of the house one level, the architects establish a layered relationship with the landscape. The patio becomes a hinge between volumes, mediating light and movement while offering framed views of the surrounding trees. ‘The patio, together with the living space, became an extension of the garden,‘ the architects note, emphasizing how the interior is shaped by its proximity to open air.

the project began as a competition proposal for a single family house

elevated living and privacy

The upper level contains the private rooms, positioned above the ground-floor volume. Bedrooms open onto a terrace that overlooks the site, allowing residents to engage with the wooded setting while maintaining a sense of separation from the approach and entry sequence. This elevated zone benefits from increased daylight and longer views across the plot.

In this configuration, Trim House balances compactness with spatial generosity. The reduced footprint yields a more expansive garden and improved solar access, both of which hold particular importance in Vilnius’s climate and forested context. ‘The enlarged garden area and better sunlight exposure became key arguments for trimming the house,‘ the architects continue. The project retains its initial spatial idea, even as its dimensions shift, showing how constraint can guide form with precision.

the design responds to a site shaped by traces of interwar wooden homes

the house contracts into a triangular plan to adapt to constraints

a central patio brings daylight deep into the interior spaces

the living area extends toward the garden through an open floor plan

the reduced footprint allows for a larger garden and improved sunlight

project info:

name: Trim House

architect: KWK Promes | @robertokonieczny 

location: Vilnius, Lithuania

completion: 2025 

photography: © Jakub Certowicz | @jakubcertowicz

lead architect: Robert Konieczny

collaboration: Dorota Skóra, Michał Lisiński, Krzysztof Kobiela, Łukasz Marciniak, Mateusz Białek, Katarzyna Ficek
structural design: Firma Inżynierska STATYK
local partner: 4 PLIUS ARCHITECTS – Donaldas Trainauskas
interiors: Yes. Design Architecture

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