Simple Architecture

20/08/2026

11/08/2026

Looking back at one of the recognitions we received earlier this year - 1st Prize in the category “Projects for Private Houses” at the Archinova Awards 2026, for our project Domino House.

Located on a compact 300 sq.m. plot in a dense urban neighbourhood in Sofia, Domino House was shaped by a series of strict limitations — its small footprint, restricted height and enclosed surroundings. Rather than treating these constraints as limitations, we used them as the starting point for the architectural concept.

The architectural expression of the house is defined by solid facade elements arranged in a checkered composition. This system not only resolves the structural scheme, but also creates diverse orientations and framed views from every room. The interplay between mass and void dynamizes the rectangular prism of the building, directing light and sightlines according to the character of each interior space.

To counterbalance the shaded surroundings, the house is designed entirely in white, applied to walls, floors, ceilings, and furnishings. Large glazing with slim aluminium profiles blurs the boundaries between inside and outside, introducing natural light and colour into the interior.

Check the full project on our website:
https://simple-architecture.com/projects/domino-house/

04/08/2026

A tactile exploration of architecture.

Handmade models are an essential part of our design process. It’s a way to understand architecture beyond drawings, through scale, material and physical presence. For Not a Hotel Yakushima, the model became a study of belonging, exploring how a house can emerge from the landscape, follow its natural conditions, and exist in harmony with its surroundings.

Not a Hotel | Path
Yakushima, Japan

Discover the full project on our website:
https://simple-architecture.com/projects/not-a-hotel-yakushima/

02/06/2026

Not a Hotel Yakushima | Path

The project seeks to inspire tranquility, introspection, and harmony between the inhabitants and the nature of the island. Through the fusion of traditional Japanese sensibilities and contemporary architectural expression, the house establishes a clear and strong identity – an architecture that does not dominate its surroundings but blends with them, offering an immersive and continuously unfolding experience of Yakushima’s unique natural environment.

Large glass screens dissolve the boundary between interior and exterior, opening the house to its surroundings while subtly mirroring the landscape when viewed from outside. In this way, the architecture becomes even more elusive, reflecting its context rather than asserting itself.

Discover the full project on our website:
https://simple-architecture.com/projects/not-a-hotel-yakushima/

22/05/2026

Alexander Yonchev and Monica Stoykova in conversation for Interiores Minimalistas magazine.

We are pleased to share our latest interview, where we speak about the philosophy behind Simple Architecture and the idea of living in the present moment through architecture and space.

We discuss our approach to simplicity, the importance of material honesty, and how architecture can create calm within the pace of contemporary life.

Thank you to the team of Interiores Minimalistas for the invitation.

Read the full interview here:
https://interioresminimalistas.com/2026/05/21/entrevista-a-alexander-yonchev-y-monica-stoykova-simple-architecture/

21/05/2026

Not a Hotel Yakushima | Path

The house unfolds as a quiet journey through the landscape of Yakushima - a gradual transition from openness to intimacy. At the secluded end of the path lies the spa zone, a place for ritual, meditation, and retreat immersed within the mountain forest.

Rather than framing distant views, the space embraces enclosure and stillness, allowing a deeper tactile connection with nature. Through movement, light, and materiality, the house creates a slow experience of discovery, where the boundary between architecture and nature begins to disappear.

Discover the full project on our website:
https://simple-architecture.com/projects/not-a-hotel-yakushima/

12/05/2026

Not a Hotel Yakushima | Path

The journey through the house is deliberately choreographed. Arrival begins at the parking area, which is discreetly positioned on an existing, nearly flat part of the plot in the southeastern corner, minimizing intervention elsewhere on the site. From there. the path moves through the main living spaces, following the more intimate part of the house – the bedrooms. The journey’s end point is a secluded spa zone that is embedded within the landscape, separated from the night spaces yet connected through an outdoor bonfire area that acts as a threshold between rest, ritual, and contemplation.

Discover the full project on our website:�https://simple-architecture.com/projects/not-a-hotel-yakushima/

05/05/2026

We are honored to participate in Cash — an exhibition by Bimberg & Frenz /Amelie Bimberg and Lea Frenz/, opening Thursday, May 7 at 7:00 PM at et al., Rue des Tanneurs 137, Brussels.

Simple Architecture is one of 33 architecture offices from across Europe invited to reimagine the architectural imagery of the euro banknote. The euro has always depicted fictional architecture, but since the withdrawal of the €500 in 2019, contemporary references have disappeared entirely. These 33 proposals imagine what contemporary architecture on a euro banknote would look like today.

On view May 7 - July 9, the exhibition is accompanied by a publication bringing together research, speculation, and all 33 contributions.

04/05/2026

Not a Hotel Yakushima | Path

The functional organization of the house follows the logic of the site. The lowest zone, which is closest to the road, is characterized by dense vegetation that ensures privacy. The middle zone offers contrasting distant views. Its lower part, where the main living area is, opens toward Mount Motchomudake, while from slightly higher ground, the bedrooms look toward the ocean. At the highest point, the spa zone sits at the edge of the mountain forest and, instead of offering distant vistas, provides a sense of enclosure, seclusion and tactile engagement with the natural landscape. This path creates a slow progression from exposure to seclusion, allowing inhabitants to experience the changing character of the landscape through movement and space.

Discover the full project on our website:
https://simple-architecture.com/projects/not-a-hotel-yakushima/

30/04/2026

Milan Design Week is always inspiring and at the same time overwhelming. Each year we approach it with the clear intention not to follow short-lived trends in colors, patterns, or furniture, but to look for a deeper quality of space and atmosphere.

We’ve gathered a selection of works that resonated most with us - projects that feel timeless, reduced to their essence, and grounded in strong, clear concepts.