Povsod je lepo or ‘Everywhere is beautiful’ is a project by Katka and Mica Melanšek, a travelling couple who have been sharing their love of travel, discovering corners of the world and getting to know new cultures with us on their travel blog povsodjelepo.com for the past 13 years.
They began their journey more than ten years ago, when they set off on a 522-day trip around Asia, to which they have since returned on numerous occasions. Today, they are joined in their exploration of the world by Lila and Art, their children, who bring a lively energy to their destinations and give them even more reasons to see the world through different eyes. Together, they create stories that inspire people to travel, explore lesser-known corners of the world and seek out beauty all around us.
When the Melanšek family are not in Slovenia, they can often be found in Bohinj, where they have made their second home. This place, to which they return for peace, relaxation and time together, has become an important part of their daily lives. This time, we joined them and took a peek inside their Bohinj home and the story behind it.
You travel a lot yourselves and discover different places. What is it that keeps bringing you back to Slovenia time and time again?
The fact is that, despite our love of travelling, we always love coming home – mainly because of our family and friends, but also because of everything our country has to offer. We feel very safe in Slovenia, and our natural landscape is exceptionally diverse; it’s not something to be taken for granted that we can experience all four seasons in our small country.
How did the idea of having your own weekend cottage in Bohinj come about? Was it a spontaneous decision or a desire that had been maturing for a long time?
The idea of having our own weekend cottage was the result of a combination of factors. Just a couple of months after Lila’s birth, the country went into a complete lockdown, which lasted longer than any of us had imagined. As a result, our family trip to Spain was replaced, a year after the lockdown, by a peaceful holiday on Krk. During that period, through hard work, we’d managed to save up a substantial sum, which Mic wanted to invest wisely, and that’s how the idea of a weekend home came about. As we happened to be on Krk at the time, we went to view about 10 properties, but not a single one was quite what we were looking for.
Of all the places in Slovenia, why did you choose Bohinj as the location for your weekend home?
As we were driving home from Krka, Mic asked me where I’d actually like to have a weekend home. One of the ideas was a flat in Bangkok, but as we talked, we realised that although we love returning to Asia, we wondered how much we’d actually use it as a family.
So we decided to try and find a plot of land in Bohinj. It’s true that we love travelling the world, but we also really enjoy going on shorter trips around Slovenia. Bohinj has always appealed to us, and through a series of coincidences, the right plot of land ended up finding us.
How would you describe the house?
Our home in Bohinj is the complete opposite of our home in Ljubljana, which has a more industrial style with metro tiles and very little wood. Here, we dared to be a bit bolder and swapped the plain tiles for patterned ones, and hung a stunning chandelier above the dining table – one we weren’t originally sure would suit the space.
What challenges did you face between the initial idea and the final completion?
One of the major challenges was the location of the plot, as it is situated within the Triglav National Park (TNP), which makes construction extremely difficult. We therefore decided to go with a contractor who takes a holistic approach to property construction and chose Lumar, who prepared all the documentation in full compliance with the municipality’s requirements – and there were quite a few of them. Although this makes the building process more labour-intensive and time-consuming, I support the council’s regulations and restrictions, as they help preserve the character of an Alpine village.
Large windows are a very modern and desirable feature in homes today. How did the two of you go about choosing the windows, and were there any restrictions involved?
Actually, the decision wasn’t ours to make; once again, it was the local council’s guidelines that restricted our choice of windows. In this area, where our little house is located, the window sizes are specified and we had to adhere to them. However, we installed more of them and fitted large sliding doors on one side of the house, which isn’t subject to regulation.
How did you approach the interior design and choice of furnishings? Did you have a clear vision right from the start?
As we’d already furnished our home in Ljubljana before this project, we sort of knew what we wanted and what we didn’t – namely, an Alpine cottage with a modern twist. With the help of interior designer Renata from Ljubo doma, we added an Alpine touch using Bohinj patterns carved into the wooden fronts of certain elements throughout the house. The most interesting feature is in the wooden wall behind the TV, which also has an LED light fitted, making the cut-out patterns glow.
Which decision regarding your interior design worried you the most at the start, but ultimately turned out to be brilliant?
We were most worried about choosing the chandelier, as we were met with ridicule and an unprofessional attitude from the shop assistant. Now, however, we’re glad we stood firm on our decision, as the droplets on the chandelier remind us of the rain in Bohinj, whilst the bronze fittings remind us of branches from the forest.
Did you ever find yourselves at a point whilst decorating the interior where you simply didn’t know how to proceed? How did you find a solution?
The solution to interior design is always an interior designer. We perhaps decided a little too late to bring in a professional, but Renata proved to be the right choice, even though she had a harder job because of the ideas we’d already put into practice. With her help, we’ve added warmth to the space and that feeling of home that you long for even when you’re not actually at home.
Was any aspect of the furnishings or the layout of the rooms significantly more challenging than you had anticipated?
I really didn’t expect that choosing such everyday items as taps would end up being a thorn in my side, which still bothers me and is currently the only thing I really want to change. Flat taps are a poor choice unless you clean them every single day, as every drop shows, so good looks aren’t everything.
How did you go about landscaping the exterior, the garden and the area around the cottage? Did you have a plan drawn up in advance?
We wanted a larger lawn in front of the house and a smaller driveway, but we had to adjust the plan slightly due to legal restrictions on the size of the garden and all the required setbacks. We decided to have the lawn at the back of the house, alongside a small garden, which Mic really wanted. We fenced off the plot with a traditional fence made of two logs, which Mic built himself.
How do you view the whole project today? Is it more of a dream come true, a life’s work, or a well-considered investment?
We see the whole project as a combination of all three. Thanks to Mico’s hard work, well-considered decisions and, above all, his discipline in seeing through whatever he sets out to do, we as a family have managed to make a sound investment whilst also fulfilling our long-held dream of owning our own weekend home.
Are you thinking of moving to Bohinj or will you stay in Ljubljana?
At the moment, it feels as though we’re actually more at home in Bohinj than in Ljubljana, as we’ve grown very close as a family through our frequent visits to our weekend home. That said, Ljubljana offers far more business opportunities and events, and, after all, our family and friends are here. We do, however, have excellent relationships with our neighbours in Bohinj and are happy to be surrounded by such people.
What does having your own little corner in nature mean to you both today?
We spent most of this summer in Bohinj and realised that having our own little corner in nature makes us very happy. The cottage is in a great location, as it’s an excellent starting point for a variety of walks, whilst the lake is right on our doorstep – and we’ve really made the most of it this year.
What have you learnt through this process that you hadn’t expected?
We’ve realised that perhaps we aren’t as in love with Ljubljana and city life as we initially thought. With the arrival of our children, we’ve increasingly sought out nature and peace, whilst still wanting enough to do – perhaps in a different way to what the city offers. Not long ago, we were talking about how strange it would feel, now that Lila is starting school, to spend more time in Ljubljana than in Bohinj. We’re genuinely surprised at how much Bohinj has stolen our hearts.
What advice would you give to someone who dreams of having their own little corner in nature but doesn’t know where to start?
Firstly, you need to be aware of your financial capabilities and keep a close eye on the property market. Speaking from our own experience, we can say that we were in the right place at the right time, but without a clear financial structure and the necessary means, we would not have been able to buy this plot of land.
However, if you’ve already got the financial side sorted, I’d say you need to be very careful when buying land because of pre-emption rights, obtaining rights to carry out planned works, and all sorts of similar things that we usually don’t even think about. That’s precisely why we’re absolutely delighted that we entrusted this to an expert.
