The aptly-named Alone House, located in a small alley in Ho Chi Minh City, was designed for a single client looking for a haven to retreat to after a day of work. Story Architecture, whose work on a pandemic-ready home we’ve explored in the past, worked their magic on this narrow three-storey building, cleverly making it look and feel more spacious than it actually is.
Sitting on a corner lot, the main building shies away slightly from the property’s boundaries, distancing the home from street view. This pocket of outdoor space was transformed into a courtyard, decorated with plants and lounges. “The courtyard and greenery attached to the kitchen and dining space helps you relax more when eating alone,” the studio says about the ground floor layout.
Cut vertically into the length of the building is an organic-shaped glass window, which bathes the different volumes – the living room area on the second floor and the bedroom on the third – in natural sunlight.
And though it has but a compact floor area, as most residential homes in this Vietnamese city do, the Alone House carries an aura of lightness and airiness, even from its exterior. And as the icing on the cake, Story Architecture indulged the home with a desirable feature: a skylight over the bedroom, providing a constant view of the sky which, as so many urbanites are aware of, is somewhat of a luxury in a busy city.
Photography © Minq Bui for Story Architecture