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Experimental Mirror House in The Netherlands

Mirror, mirror on the wall… This fairy tale called Cache-Cache takes a different turn from the classic story. This experimental house by Netherlands architecture firm Johan Selbing Architecture is part of Eenvoud – part three of a series of small experimental housing settlements in Almere, The Netherlands, after the Realiteit and Fantasie communities came together. The mirror house was designed for a competition to create a home with a strong connection to its environment, and this one certainly reflects its surroundings – literally. The structure is a simple, flat roofed volume clad entirely in reflective glass which echoes the leafy trees around it, while also blocking the views in without blocking the views out. Inside, the compact house boasts a simple layout that lives larger than its square footage dictates. Check it out.
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The house was designed in collaboration with landscape architect Anouk Vogel, in order to maximize its surroundings and simultaneously blend in with them. Artfully done.
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The floor-to-ceiling mirrors all but disappear, if not for the vertical seams in the individual panels, and the hardware.
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Inside, a simple linear layout follows the lines of the long, lean house design and visually expands interiors.
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The birch clad interiors are simple and unadorned. As they say, less is more – especially in a small space. The open concept floor plan combines the living area, kitchen and dining bar, with no interior walls to eat up precious space.
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Living areas follow the glass walls, making the most of the views. Push aside the sliding panels, revealing interiors to the outdoors. The house sits so low on the ground that all you need to do is take a step outside.
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From the architect, “The floor plan has been designed to be as compact as possible, with the possibility to adapt to different lifestyles. In dialogue with the client, the competition proposal was worked out to the smallest detail, taking a demand for optimum accessibility into consideration. The original concept with a slightly raised floor (for a better view), sliding doors, built-in cupboards and a single-level layout, has therefore been further refined. Long sightlines in the interior make the house appear larger from the inside, and anchor it to its surroundings.”
Floor plans:
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Johan Selbing Architecture
photo credit: Jeroen Musch

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