Chatou by Paris-based h2o architectes is a garden pavilion where the furniture forms the entire interior.
Arranged on four split levels, the 12m² building is intended for a teenager to live within the garden of the family home.
Made from silver birch plywood, the furniture allows for sleeping, living, studying and washing.
Photographs by Stéphane Chalmeau.
Here’s some information from the architects:
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Chatou
This little building, located in the owner’s backyard, was neglected for years. The aim of the project was to provide a private space for a teenager looking for his independence. Therefore, the program includes elements necessary for an autonomous life including sleeping, living, studying and washing. It had been decided between the parents and teenager that meals would still be a shared time in the family home.
Due to the very limited floor space (12m²) we tested different options assembling the programs into a kind of “inhabitable furniture”. Multiple spaces are connected in a unique volume in a series of four split-levels with dedicated areas for each of the programmatic functions.
Silver birch plywood was chosen as the singular material for this living-space-as-furniture, giving a visual coherence and unity to the details and interlocking spaces.
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Posted by Rose Etherington
July 19th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
First picture: how does that window open?
July 19th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I like the gap between exterior and interior.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
wonderful wonderful wonderful!
a lucky teenager to live in the amazing project. one of my favourite pieces of design for a long time.
July 19th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Neat, but all that silver birch plywood does get to be overmuch. Some variety would have been nice. Love the though documentation.
July 19th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
claustrophobic bunker, cool enough
July 19th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Amazing!
July 19th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Amazing !! and very tricky
I really like the way all parts connect together.
Many spaces forming one single element in a very nice composition of shapes and volumes.
Great Job !!
We want some more
July 19th, 2008 at 10:44 pm
I love the mono-material super modern interior. Intricate set of spaces. The lightness of the the material makes this tight space feel more open. Tons of discreet storage… nice!
July 20th, 2008 at 2:44 am
what is the last picture (the green one) mean? Is that the exterior appearance of the building?
July 20th, 2008 at 3:30 am
it is very very nice
July 20th, 2008 at 3:56 am
this is fantastic!
July 20th, 2008 at 7:12 am
Functional to its core ,quite monotonus though!
July 20th, 2008 at 9:47 am
@pieter:
Excactly my first thought!!
How is that 2nd window wing supposed to be opened?
July 20th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
cool parents
didnt mvrdv just do a house for a teenager recently?
i wish my parents were that hip
July 21st, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Boat_design docet!
July 21st, 2008 at 8:48 pm
that last picture is a welcome surprise. what a pearl inside that oyster shell. i imagine once lived in, the use of one material throughout will be very much softened. great execution of such a unique program.
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:37 am
Great design, I wouldn’t mind living in similar housing. I like the 4 level hard wood design the most. There’s so many possible places to have storage, such as the underside of the stairs, even in the floor/walls themselves with pop-out cabinets that could be arranged like tiles.
I’ll definitely refer to there designs when I build my own house.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:57 am
Brillant! nothing more to say about this!!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:11 am
amaizing how it looks outside.
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:59 pm
YES! nice puzzling design! Nice clash inside-outside…
and thank you Rose for the PLANS!
August 26th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
think its a brilliant design….. the detailing superb…..functionality good….but looks like the single wood color can be monotonous…
all in all i think its well thought out…..
December 15th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
changable design It is great idea
March 18th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
@leon & pieter:
Good work.
Half of it opens, obviously. Nothing extraordinary, there’s a slightly awkward edge but hey
June 14th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
@leon & pieter:
section BB
July 20th, 2009 at 4:24 am
Although turning floors into furniture is an attractive concept and this instance is quite intriguing,
this monolith may squeak and creak after a teen boy spends a couple of years running up and down those stairs and doing what teenagers do.
But I like the idea.