A Box-Shaped Home with an Airy Interior

Defined by a composition of boxy forms, the residence opens at its midpoint to reveal a small courtyard that welcomes light and air, with recessed side volumes protecting interior views from the outside.

Set on a plot shared by several homes belonging to the same extended family, this house stands amid a lush setting filled with mature trees and a long-established sense of kinship. It is also the first residence encountered from the access road, meaning every visitor to the compound passes directly in front of it. While the closeness to relatives offers comfort and familiarity, the homeowners still sought a retreat that feels quiet and private. The design therefore focuses on screening interior spaces from external sightlines while ensuring the rooms inside remain bright, open, and comfortably breathable.

A Long, Linear House Set Parallel to the Site

When the architects at Anonym began working with the brief, they first considered the site’s rectangular footprint, bordered at the rear by a shared fence and neighboring property. This informed the decision to lay the house lengthwise, parallel to the long edges of the plot. The structure is raised slightly above street level to mitigate potential flooding, with the front facing north toward the family’s main access road, where the elder brother’s home stands across. This orientation allows areas of the frontage to receive natural light and prevailing breezes.

Walls, Openings, and the Play of Enclosure

Working from an elongated, box-like massing, the architects carved a small courtyard at the center, creating a void that connects the front and rear of the house. Recessed pockets along the sides provide privacy by blocking outside views and also add depth to the building’s form. This intervention creates an open terrace at the front, offering a spot to sit outdoors with a direct link to the interior living hall, which rises into a double-height space. The upper walls around this area are lined with clear glass blocks that channel generous daylight into the hall, preserving a sense of spaciousness while maintaining privacy for the upper floor.

The exterior walls across the remainder of the building further enrich the visual composition. The architects chose hand-troweled stucco scored with vertical grooves to introduce a subtle texture, paired with a soft pastel palette. On the ground floor, the wider grooves are finished in tones of grey mixed with light brown. The upper floor features finer grooves, expressed in a deeper grey that gives the elevation a grounded presence.

Another notable aspect of the design is the distribution of window openings. Rather than relying on a single expansive glass façade, the architects placed windows throughout the house in all directions. Each room benefits from its own carefully positioned opening, allowing daylight and outward views to enter in a measured, comfortable way. This approach maximizes the surrounding scenery while preserving the level of privacy the residents requested.

A Staircase as Sculpture

Although the exterior presents itself as a closed volume that filters views from outside, the interior offers an unexpectedly airy ambiance, helped by numerous small openings positioned throughout the rooms. This sense of lightness is reinforced by a warm palette of earth tones expressed through the finishes and the freestanding wooden furniture.

At the heart of the home, the staircase becomes a sculptural focal point. Its handrail is conceived as a single line that rises from the ground floor and curves gracefully toward the second level, reading almost like an art object integrated into the architecture. Accompanying this gesture is a grey built-in cabinet that runs alongside the hallway adjacent to the double-height living hall. Together, these elements form a composition of crisp geometric lines that feels distinctly characteristic of Anonym.