Soul quieting nature holds in the grounds of HOUSE BRAS, a project by architect team DDM Architectuur. The design process for this home included careful research around hours of daylight during changing seasons and how insolation could be maximised. Panoramic views of the surrounding landscape was also of paramount importance, as was blending the home sympathetically with its location. The solution is an architectural layout shaped to bend around features of the green landscape, set right between a pond and a small lake, and to welcome in every drop of available sunlight. The house is covered entirely with natural stone slabs, including roofs and facades, blending it completely with its surroundings.
Photographer: Lenzer - Peter Verplancke
Everything about this carefully considered home design is geared toward helping its inhabitants feel rooted in the natural habitat. Glass walls invite the spectacular views of towering trees, shrubs, lake and pond to become the colourful and textured decor of the minimalist interior spaces.
The tonal stonework that covers the modern home exterior is a sympathetic choice that helps merge the contemporary build with its stunning landscape, like a bed of rocks in woodland.
The lower half of the build height is made up entirely of glass, which sends the interior illumination spilling out over the green terrain after dusk. The colours inside the house are kept to a neutral minimum, so as not to disrupt natures peaceful palette splashed beyond the window panes.
A deep stained slatted entryway interrupts the perfect run of glazing, where an enormous door pivots on its hinge.
The floor to ceiling windows ensure a seamless panorama of the grounds. The changing colours of the trees provide a changing wallpaper from season to season. The main living room is filled with sunlight even as the sun moves throughout the day. A modern fireplace burns an open flame during the winter months.
A second lounge-cum-music room is located at the back of the bedroom wing. In this lounge, a floor hugging modern sofa stretches out in front of the fireplace, almost like a bed. The modular seating arrangement is double sided so that the homeowners can either watch the flames leap in the fireplace, or look out upon the pond and all the beauty that nature has to offer outside.
The grey sofa in the main living room makes an L-shape around the edge of a huge floor rug; two designer lounge chairs line the other side. Dark larch veneer covers the chimney breast with dramatic effect in the middle of a white and light grey scheme.
The dark larch veneer panels in the music room also serve as a concealing device for a series of tall storage cupboards, which are set back into the fireplace wall.
The ground floor is divided into three parts: the restful music room and bedroom wing, the indoor swimming pool and sauna wellbeing wing, and the sociable centralised main living room with open-plan kitchen. The three areas connect via glazed passages and closed blocks of dark larch veneer.
The minimalist style kitchen could go almost unnoticed at the back of the open plan living room. Basic black volumes stretch out over the pale flooring, with no upper cabinets visible at all.
The black base cabinets tie in with the dark larch decor that covers an adjacent wall.
Two kitchen islands stand facing each other across the room, with a faucet and sink set parallel into the countertop of each one. The dark veneered kitchen wall opens up to reveal a third side to the kitchen, and a third kitchen sink. A huge pantry is located around the back of the secretive volume. Six wood bar stools line up along one end of the outer kitchen island to provide a dining spot with a tranquil view.
Larch doors hang flush inside matching walls.
A courtyard design keeps the interior of the building in touch with nature even where views are a little more limited. A beautiful tree grows a feeling of zen inside the home.
The lake washes right up to the windows of the house, with stepping stones breaking the waters surface. Forest views push through from the opposite end of the house to join with the lake, as if there were no building here at all.
A large indoor swimming pool stretches out in its own wellbeing wing of the house. The house’s signature floor to ceiling panorama brings the pool in touch with the outdoors and all its splendor.
The pool becomes a part of the lake, which flows alongside the windows.
A floating staircase design ascends to the master bedroom on the first floor, where the suite overlooks the treetops.
The weightless white staircase design is reminiscent of perfectly crimped origami.
Frameless glass balustrades guard the stairwell.
Dark wood shutters create privacy in a small bathroom.
A larger minimalist bathroom is decorated in pale wood tone and crisp white.
White vanities stand centred in the bathroom, evenly spaced between the bathtub and a shower enclosure.
The wellness wing appears to float on the surface of the natural lake, like a lightweight raft.
By night, the whole house seems to hover above the dark landscape, a lightbox pouring its contents into a pool below.
Floor plan and terrain, illustrating the careful architectural layout and sympathetic placement in the natural landscape.
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