What was the last nice thing you did for your mom? A phone call? A measly text?
Whatever it was, it probably doesn’t come close to what Dutch designer Caspar Schols did for his mom when he built her dream cabin on their lakeside property in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Schols has no formal architectural training, but that didn’t stop him from planning and constructing a Russian-nesting-doll-esque design that could be the centerfold of any architecture magazine worth its salt. His mother — apparently a demanding one — wanted a space where she could host parties, paint and meditate, among a long list of other desired use cases.
Schols’s solution: build multiple builings in one by putting the walls on rolling tracks, such that residents can reconform the space with a vision and some elbow grease.
There are essentially two layers to the building: an internal glass structure that’s got less insulation but more visibility for the warmer months, and a wooden exterior building that can be closed for a cozy den, workspace or guest house. During inclement weather, all layers can be closed and the woodfired-stove fired up.
The four wall units can be rearranged to create different indoor configurations, or left open entirely to reveal a sprawling open-air deck. When fully opened, the space can hold 30 people for parties, performances or dinners. When it’s closed up, there’s a bed and desk for guests or the family’s personal use.
Here is an abridged version of his mother’s wishlist for the space, from the architect:
“A place where she can write her book, a place where she can give a large dinner (25-30 people) in the middle of nature, a ‘camping’ spot, a place where she can sun and chill out next to the pond, a stage where (grand) children can perform for audience, a terrace with windscreen to enjoy early spring sun, a place where she can sleep under the stars any time, a place where she can paint and adjust the light the way she wants to, a place where she can listen to music in nature, a place where inside and outside become one, meditation place, mediation place, a philosophizing place, tea house, a place where she can work.”
Watch the video to see its manifold transformations.
Oh and call your mother, will ya.
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