Interactive floor plan: Villa Veth by 123DV Architects, Netherlands

The latest villa design from Rotterdam-based 123DV Architects continues the studio's penchant for purist white structures marooned on verdant spots.

Essentially a sizeable rectangular bungalow, the Villa Veth sits above a utility room and car-port, with a stair leading straight into the entrance hall. The first floor contains an L-shaped suite of bedrooms arranged around the edge of the structure, including two studies, a music room, four bedrooms and a master suite, effectively buffered from the main living space by an internal wall of cupboards.

Step through this portal and you enter the bright living space, with seamless curved walls of glass wrapping around both sides of the space to overlook the lawns and tree beyond. The dining, cooking and sitting area is one large south-facing space, with an over-sailing rectangular roof providing shaded, covered areas for the wraparound terrace. Custom-built furniture in the living area is matched with built in AV equipment and a sleek contemporary kitchen.

The entire first floor is united by a polished concrete floor, above which elements like the one-piece kitchen worktop/prep area and breakfast bar appear to float. The colour palette is pretty muted, but the privacy afforded by the dense cover of trees outside gives the clients a bright green backdrop to their grey floors and white walls. Located in Hattem, a woody suburb of Zwolle, this new structure is a welcome addition to the region's burgeoning tradition of modern residential architecture.
 

2 August 2012 | Architecture