Tea House in a Garden
Prague Czech Republic – A1 Architects Built: 2008 Area: 7 m2 (75 sq ft) This firm of architects has a definite penchant and finesse in designing and building teahouses. They have taken the essence of the classical Japanese concept to Europe. We’ll let the owner do the talking: The Garden At the foot of […]
Hat Tea House
Ostrava Czech Republic – A1 Architects Does it seem a little incongruous to find a classical Japanese tea house in suburban Ostrava, Czech Republic? Initially, probably, but why shouldn’t a Czech – or Briton, Canadian or New Zealander, seek the same sense of calm that the Japanese have found for centuries in their back yard tea houses? […]
Black Tea House
Česká Lípa, Czech Republic – Lenka Křemenová, David Maštálka / A1Architects Built: 2011 Area: Veranda – 10m2 (108 sq. ft.) Interior – 3.5m2 (38 sq. ft.) Traditional Japanese teahouses are as much a refuge from the chaos of life as they are a ceremonial focal point. But the concept and meaning has spread to […]
Matryoshka House
Maryland USA – David Jameson Architect You may recall the controversial Barcode House from this architect. Here we present a very different, multi-award winning home that is focussed on a centrally hung meditation chamber. Here are the architect’s notes: This small house is organised as a series of volumes nested one inside another. At the […]
Green Oak Writer’s Studio
Los Angeles, USA – Bertram Architects Built Area: 18.5m2 (200 sq ft) Designed as a quiet space with minimum distraction for a writer. Furniture is plain and built in to both maximise the available space and avoid distraction. Here are the architect’s notes: “Inspiration for the home office came from the “Russian word пустынь or poustinia (which literally means […]
House Arc
Big Island, Hawaii – Bellomo Architects Photography: Drew Kelly Yesterday’s post about prefabricated housing certainly seemed to ‘hit the spot’. Here’s another very interesting alternative to conventional, on-site construction. All of the components can be made off-site and assembled and completed in just three days. The uses are limited only by your imagination – granny […]
The Escarpment House
New South Wales, Australia – Timothy Moon Architects Photography: © Timothy Moon Architects The Australian Timber Development Association runs an annual competition for timber constructs. This home is the 2011 winner of the following categories: The Recycled Timber Award, 2011 The Residential Class 1 – New Buildings Award, 2011 The Timber as a Structural Element Award, 2011 The Best […]
Takasugi-an, “A Tea House Built Too High”
Nagano Prefecture, Japan – Terunobu Fujimori Photography: Edmund Sumner Teahouses are an essential component of Japanese culture. They are very quiet. restful places typically designed and built by the owners to increase intimacy with the space. Takasugi was designed and constructed by architect Terunobu Fujimori on a family plot in Chino, Nagano Prefecture. The tree-bound tea house sits atop […]
The Water Temple
Ljubljana, Slovenia – Kieran Donnellan Year built: 2012 Photography: Courtesy of Water Temple Workshop MEDS – Meeting of design students – was founded in 2010 by students from different countries and different departments of design. It was created with the intention of integrating architecture, interior architecture, industrial design, graphic design into a cohesive group. The […]
The Poteet Loft Porch
San Antonio Texas – Poteet Architects Imagine a warm, balmy night, good friends, a glass of wine and a soft breeze as you enjoy the outdoors. Sounds wonderful until the bugs start joining the party. Here’s a very nice solution that adds a lot of usable space without breaking the bank account. Like decks, a […]
Under the Moonlight House
Mt. Hotham Victoria Australia – Giovanni D’Ambrosio Australia doesn’t have many areas where it snows and even then, it doesn’t stick around for long! (Australia’s highest mountain, Mt. Kosciuszko, is only 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level.) A very good season in our ski fields is about 10 weeks. If you build an alpine cabin […]
The Kernan Teahouse
Stoney Creek, CT USA – Naomi Darling Architecture Photography by Sean Kernan This stunning, minimalist teahouse is in Stoney Creek, Connecticut. Designed by architect Naomi Darling, it features local and recycled materials to achieve a simple elegance. The stone came from a local quarry, while bamboo was harvested on-site. The roof is made of recycled metal. “Tea, […]
The Hemloft
Whistler British Columbia – Joel Allen Gone forever now, but what an interesting story this is! Built on public land, this home lead the owner (borrower of public space?) to a new beginning. Built from materials sourced free on Craigslist, it’s proof of human resourcefulness. “Like so many wonderful accomplishments, the HemLoft sprang from broken […]
A Log Cabin on Wheels…
Hans Liberg Music Studio Holland – 2010 Photography by Thomas Mayer Don’t like the view? Move… this amazing log studio is on wheels! Further proof of the beauty of small buildings. Designed by Dutch designer, Piet Hein Eek, this music room/studio is built on a wheeled chassis for easy transportation. Look closely and you’ll notice […]
The Sunset Garden Studio
Bellevue, Washington – McConnell Built Year built: 2008 Photography: McConnell Built Seattle based Andy McConnel had nothing more in mind than a practical tool shed when he first planned this structure. The concept changed and grew to become a peaceful retreat for his step-mother, who was recovering from cancer. It gave her a peaceful sanctuary in […]
The Hanging Tea House
Washington DC – David Jameson Year built: 2009 Approximate Area: 16 m2 (173 sq. ft.) Photography: Paul Warchol Bronze, timber and bamboo give this ‘me space’ the look and feel of a Japanese tea house. Suspended from a pair of steel arms, it hangs like a lantern in the […]