Oda House – Georgian Prêt-à-Porter
The Oda is a traditional Georgian dwelling, born in the heart of Western Georgia and destined to become its unmistakable symbol. Villages immersed in lush greenery, with gardens blooming and hillsides softly shaded, are unimaginable without the carved fairy wooden house, standing on shortwooden or stone stilts, blending into the landscape as if it were its true master. The story of the Oda begins in the 18th century, finding its renaissance in the 19th. On the fertile soils of Colchis, where millennia of carpentry had gathered wisdom, a new era brought forth a unique model of home. At first glance, the Oda seems simple, yet in truth it is multifunctional and layered, a bridge between tradition and innovation. Its form is rectangular, almost square, with a four-sloped roof clad in clay tiles or wooden shingles.
Inside, 3–4 rooms unfold with wooden windows, a fireplace, and exquisite wooden floors and ceilings. But the true jewel is the inclusive balcony, crowned with imprinted railings. On the upper side, are set delicately carved wooden ‘curtains’ that shimmer in the light. The old masters have woven into them the symbols of the universe, sun and moon, bird and vineyard, waves and horizons, each carving an ode to life itself.
Depending on geography and climate, two main types of Oda appear. ‘The Colchian Oda’, a single-story wooden house on low stilts was mainly built on flatlands, protecting its dwellers from dampness and sudden floods. The ‘Palatian Oda’, by contrast, rising on two stories, took root in mountainous terrain.
Its lower floor was built of stone, giving the house firmness and durability, while the upper floor was constructed of wood. Together, this combination created a steady and resilient structure, well suited to its environment and giving shelter from winter’s chill. The Oda was, in essence, a translation of nature’s rhythms into architecture, where every beam, plank, and carving bore both function and poetry.
The Colchian Oda was often called the “new house” and likely not by chance. For in spirit it truly was new. It stood at the crossroads of old and future life. Its architecture breathed innovation, a clever structure, open yet segmented. Here begins a consequential revolution in living: unlike the older ‘Sajalabo’ houses, where families shared a single space, the Oda introduced for the first time the concept of separate rooms — a sitting room, a resting room, a bedroom. It was the birth of a new way of life, of a new identity. In the Oda, the idea of “my own room” appeared, and with it was unfolding individualism in everyday routine, whispering to its dwellers “I am.”
With its universal design and folk spirit, the Oda spread like wildfire across the region. What began as the home of wealthy families soon became accessible to all, thanks to its practicality and use of local materials. From the lowlands of Samegrelo to the mountains of Racha, or picturelike slopes of Imereti, from the eucalyptus groves of Guria to the vineyards of Lechkhumi, the fashion of the Oda exploded across Western Georgia, as if it were Georgian prêt-à-porter, ready for everyone.
