de bever architecten have paid tribute to Mies van der Rohe by conceiving this modern Dutch house addition in the style of the iconic Barcelona pavilion. The extension is meant to add extra comfort to the existing rather small house, and is the continuation of an earlier exterior expansion with thin floating concrete eaves. It also comes to enclose the garden, thus giving more intimacy to the layout. The horizontal surfaces of the pavilion are made of concrete, while the vertical ones are made mostly of glass and stone. The glass surfaces are amazing and run on several meters long and high without any interruption. This gives a great transparency to the space and moves the limits between outdoors and indoors depending on the point of view. The light penetrates through the ceiling as well, where zenith openings have been created in order to give the feeling of being under the open sky. The angular geometry is interrupted by curved and wavy wall surfaces which give an organic, dynamic character to the space. The round surfaces are introduced already from the outside, with the curved glass at the entrance that seems to bend under the weight of the heavy chromed steel door. In the bubble-like space created by the glass curve there is just enough room to place a compact home office desk and chair.
The floor of the main living room is slightly recessed compared to the rest, just enough to be able to use the wide windowsills as additional sitting or as side tables. Floor to ceiling bookshelves are built in a niche that is half closed by sliding wood panels.
The living room is a place for getting together and socializing while sitting on some design icons like the Eames lounge chair or the van der Rohe Barcelona seats.
The bathroom is a very unusual space, staring by the giraffe skin mosaic pattern of the wavy wall. The waves of this wall create the perfect rounded niche for the shower, while the exterior wall actually pivots open to give access to and from the pool.
The overall decoration is quite minimalistic and enhances the aesthetic value of the surfaces and of the materials.
