The client came to the architect with one demand, the house had to be build in wood. The architect based his design concept on contrasts. These two aspects are subtle hints all over the house. The north-side of the house where street en neighbourhood are located is completely closed. Large windows on the south-side let light enter the house en open the house towards the garden.

The cedar-wooden shingle façade gives the house a warm look and feeling and reflects the client’s desire to build with wood. The aging and weathering process of wind, rain and sun lead to a constantly changing colour pallet from orange-brown, beige, light-brown, dark-brown to grey. The wooden window frames are coated/oiled greyish. The same colour as the cedar-wooden shingle façade due to time en when it’s dry.

The open carport is the first intervention to stand out, as if bite was taken from the volume. Immediately a first hint of the architecture and spatial game at the inside. A bronze matted glass door and a steel baluster staircase separate entrance hall from living room and kitchen. Opening this door, opens the house and clarifies the central role of the staircase. The steel baluster wall that obstructed a view towards other rooms almost disappears when standing in the kitchen or living room. As a consequence, these two rooms become one open space which is emphasised by the materialisation of the cupboards. All cupboards and closets are finished in constructive multiplex and accentuate the client his enthusiasm for wood. Even so the house is very open because of several large windows and high ceilings the wooden in-situ furniture gives the house a very warm and domestic feeling. Because the first floor will be used more intensively, the architect chose a light grey concrete floor. The light grey colour matches the wooden window frames and suggests a only stopping just in front of the grass.

The height of gutter and roof-edge determined by urban regulations did not allow to design and construct a second floor sufficiently high. The dormer window is not only a nice and mysterious skylight. But also a creative answer of the architect to this urban restriction. Due to this small intervention a full-fledged circulation became possible. That same urban restriction was a stimulus to provide the second floor of light with several sky-lights. These sky-lights ensure a warmer and more private atmosphere in the bedrooms and bathrooms. To emphasise this particular atmosphere, the architect chose a wooden floor which consists out of small wooden planks resulting in almost no waste. The chosen size of parquet allowed to cover the small marches towards the bedrooms as well and creates the feeling of an unrolled carpet all over the second floor.

Since wood would not be sufficiently sustainable in wet rooms, the architect opted for Mortex in the bathroom and toilet. A hydrophobic protective layer upon the wooden construction. The beige colour matches perfectly with the used natural material of the furniture and bath. Al closets and cupboards are as well finished with the same constructive multiplex. To join these materials door handles are executed in bronze and taps have a soft white colour.