Recreational Architecture

Compiled by Zoya

Photography: Stijn Poelstra; courtesy the architect

 

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In a rural area north of Utrecht in Netherlands is a compact recreation cottage that has been conceptualized and built majorly in wood.

The archetypal cottage is quite simple in design: a gable roof of stone slate, a fireplace, a chimney and a wood cladding of Western Red Cedar. However, it is the efficient use of space, unique details and high level of craftsmanship that makes the cottage far from ordinary.

 

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Completed by a special collaboration between Dutch architecture studio Zecc and interior designer Roel van Norel, the cottage blends into the landscape seamlessly with the use of its natural materials; and although it has replaced an existing garden house, it has reused its foundation and exiting contours.

 

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The refinement of its design lies in the asymmetrical head design, detailing and interior. The cottage is completely closed on one long side and partially transparent on a side adjacent to it.  The other two sides of the cottage are made of glass - framed within a sturdy steel façade - opening up to a garden or acting as a doorway, respectively. The architects show great design expertise in adding movable window shutters that can be positioned at different angles to allow complete, partial or no natural light into the cottage.

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Simple layout with the kitchen in front - its facilities integrated into an oak wall, so much so that the plinth of the kitchen has also been smartly designed as a drawer for maximum utilization of space; and the bedroom area at the rear of the house makes the cottage compact in spatial planning with a minimalist no-clutter approach.

 

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A simple smart option that maximizes the panoramic landscape at will and offers a minimum-maintenance home-away-from-home.