Interactive floor plan: Sommerhaus, Switzerland

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This classically modern pavilion perches elegantly on the edge of a picturesque river in Kanton Thurgau, shielded from nearby houses by a stand of tall trees. Set back just a short distance from the water's edge, behind reeds and grasses, this summer house is intended for quiet contemplation.

Consisting of an open plan living space on the ground floor, with a terrace set beneath the oversailing first floor, the house is a simple box, albeit with a few unusual design details that set it apart from the everyday.

On the first floor, the accommodation is recessed within the structure, with a loggia running right around the edge. The master suite, guest room and small study all enjoy bucolic views through the floor to ceiling glass windows - as if one is living in a treehouse, according to the architects, Staufer & Hasler.

The designers have avoided the temptation to adopt a strict Modernist approach, and the flared larch wood columns on the first floor elevation, together with the baroque balcony ironwork indicate a playful sensibility at work.

4 February 2010 | Architecture