Villa V / RHAW architecture

+ 20

The power of omission. For years, Jaap and Marieke have considered the idea of ​​building their own house. Several designs were discarded, they were too expensive, or they did not fit the conditions of the zoning plan. To get to the essence, all ideas and desires were carefully examined. Thanks to simplification and reduction, but without abandoning the essential desires, a comprehensible house was created. The simple single-story layout can be read at a glance.

Two faces. Villa V has two faces. On the street side, the discreet, low and almost closed façade is clad with rough wooden planks. At the rear, the house unfolds upwards with a tall glass façade with French doors towards the nature reserve bordering the Dommel River. The tactile purity of the Katsura Imperial Villa west of Kyoto and the cinematic atmosphere of West Coast Modernism in California served as inspiration for the design.

Obvious zoning. Once inside, the rising ceilings open the living spaces to the landscape beyond. The bedrooms are on the southeast side, and the living spaces are on the northwest side. The functional spaces in the lower section form a buffer towards the street. A long black wall of cabinets connects all the spaces and reveals itself as a closet, storage space, kitchen island with kitchen cabinets, and vinyl record cabinet.

Pure simplicity. The use of materials on the exterior and interior is pure and natural. There are no finishes, there is no plastering, there is no painting, there is no flooring. Just the steel frame, wooden walls and concrete floor. There are no cover-ups. It is what it is.