Sisters Homes in Croatia: Art and Hospitality
Nataša and Ingrid are twin sisters with roots in Croatia. Raised in a family of artists, their everyday lives are characterized by creativity and a keen sense of art and aesthetics. Their travels have taken them around the world, where they have experienced different cultures, religions, and countries.
Their dream of creating something new together became reality when they found two perfect places for accommodation: the Sisters HomesThese special retreats are located in Vidovići on the island of Cres.
Sustainable construction and an eclectic mix of styles
To preserve the authenticity of these places, they renovated the existing houses according to traditional principles, using natural materials such as stone and wood, boldly combining them with exposed concrete, glass, and steel. The interplay of tradition and modernity created spaces with a unique yet simple atmosphere that invite you to linger and enjoy.
To stay in these houses is to experience the magic hidden in the countless details with which the sisters have enriched these places. Carefully selected faucets in the bathrooms, combined with charming vintage details from all over the world, meticulously draped cushions on the terrace. A mix of Scandi style, boho style, and all sorts of European influences.
The holiday homes on the island of Cres are located in a small mountain village where time seems to have stood still. The house Vidovići 9 is more than 200 years old. It once served as a stable, later as a residential building, and was even used for a time as the village chapel. The current holiday home was renovated in 2016. It has a bedroom, a living room, and a dining area. The concrete staircase to the gallery creates an open feeling.
The house Vidovići 5 consists of a traditional four-story stone building, from which guests can enjoy wonderful views of the crystal-clear sea and small islands. The house was built more than 100 years ago and renovated over a year. Just a few steps from the house is a terrace where wheat was once milled. Today, it is primarily used for enjoying the magnificent view.
Island of Cres: Traditionally sustainable
The island of Cres is one of the world's 100 most sustainable travel destinations. This is thanks to people who are passionate about protecting nature – especially the majestic griffon vultures, which have once again found a home here. Local projects and green businesses are supported as long as they help reduce the ecological footprint and improve the lives of locals.
Sustainability is also a lived practice in the small village of Vidovići. Residents have always collected their rainwater in their own cisterns. Wastewater is treated in environmentally friendly, modern three-chamber septic tanks. Waste separation and respectful use of natural resources are a matter of course here.
A special detail: The sisters unearthed bed linens that are over 100 years old. They now use them in their guesthouses—a small piece of history that demonstrates how sustainability can also preserve beauty.
Art in Sisters Homes: Four artists introduce themselves
The sisters are particularly fond of their latest project Art in Sisters HomesThey want to make Vidovići a place for art and creativity. In addition to the existing works of art, new ones are now being added—many of them created specifically for the space.
Four artists – Bojana Vuksanović, Boris Bedrač, Nina Atević Murtić, and Dalibor Stošić – each bring their own distinctive artistic style, yet are all deeply rooted in their surroundings. Their works are not just objects, but subtle extensions of a house that is more than a living space – it is a place of inspiration.
Bojana Vuksanović: The Poetry of the Sea in Ceramics
Architect and artist Bojana Vuksanović translates her lifelong connection to the sea into ceramic objects that capture its elusive spirit. Her series living water is a homage to the ever-changing forms of the sea: foam, depth, light, microorganisms – all of this is reflected in works that appear as if they had emerged directly from the ocean.
Each piece is a point of rest amidst change, a moment of meditation where architecture meets nature. For Vuksanović, the sea is not a motif, but a state of being—one that emerges when stillness and intuition guide the hand.
Bojana Vuksanović graduated in architecture from the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) in 2003 and studied at the Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona in 2005.
Boris Bedrač: Art as an Energetic Space
Boris Bedrač explores reality on an energetic level. In his series Energy Software He interweaves art, consciousness, and science in an open, exploratory practice. Inspired by frequencies, vibrations, and geometric patterns, he creates works that are not only seen but felt.
For Bedrač, art is a tool of transformation. His works invite us to question and reprogram our own "software program"—that is, patterns of perception and behavior that we unconsciously adopt. Within clear architectural structures, his art opens up a space in which the incomprehensible resonates.
Bedrač graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in 1994. He regularly exhibits in solo and group exhibitions.
Nina Atević Murtić: Mediterranean stories in sound
Painter Nina Atević Murtić combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary expression in her series of ceramic tables. Created for a home nestled in the wild, rural Mediterranean landscape, her works strive for harmony between clean architectural lines and soft, tactile interventions that enrich the space.
Through the use of special pigments and a high-temperature firing process, her works emerge in an unpredictable way—the colors remain undetermined during production, and the final result is unknown until the very end. This embrace of the unknown is part of the artistic process. For Atević Murtić, ceramics is deeply rooted in Mediterranean heritage. Her surfaces reflect the timeless dualities of the region: sea and stone, light and shadow—captured in a modern language through an ancient technique.
Atević Murtić studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. She has exhibited in private and public galleries and museums in Croatia and internationally.
Dalibor Stošić: Art in the Open Air
Dalibor Stošić is an award-winning sculptor and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb. Born in Split and raised in France, he has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions. – among others in Paris (Grand Palais), Nice (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art), Gstaad (Galerie Saqqarah), London (Royal Academy of Arts) and Vienna (Künstlerhaus). Although he now lives in Zagreb, Stošić is deeply connected to the sea through his origins and his love of life on a boat.
His works are created from two contrasting materials: wood and metal. He often uses elements or fragments of industrial objects he finds in his surroundings. In doing so, he emphasizes the proximity of industrial forms to the animal world—but also their inherent poetry, which rests in harmony and tranquility. His art is expressive, intense, mysterious, and enigmatic—a bridge between tradition and modernity, often with a powerful, deeply felt message.
Sisters Homes commissioned Stošić to create a large-scale outdoor installation made of cast iron. This is the first step in bringing art from the interior of the houses into the landscape—where it blends with the surroundings.
Conclusion
The island of Cres and the village of Vidovići are impressive examples of how tradition, nature conservation, and modern life can merge. Here, sustainability isn't just a buzzword, but a lived attitude. Nataša and Ingrid bring a special touch with their sense of aesthetics, creating creative spaces with local artists that demonstrate how sustainability, art, and beauty can go hand in hand.
© Photos: Sisters Homes
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