Designed to add a touch of cinematic curiosity to the sprawling grounds of a film industry client’s estate, this extravagant guesthouse by Atelier Vens Vanbelle is a memorable addition to the main home. Tasked with a brief to create free-standing guest quarters that would inspire a stay that visiting guests ‘wouldn’t forget for the rest of their lives’ – so, no small task then! – the firm developed a building that certainly captures the attention.
Within the rust-colored corten steel cladding of the exterior, the interior space represents one organic shape, described as a piece of furniture by the studio, who layered wood across the floor, ceiling, and walls to create an elegant cocoon. Along with a protruding watchtower that looks over the garden, the guesthouse makes use of subterranean space, with an underground section connected to the main house containing a cinema, bar, bathroom, and storage. Sadly, you’ll need to be on the owner’s Christmas card list to have any chance of scoring an invite to stay in his self-titled, Alex Guesthouse. More from the studio here.
Photography © Tim Van de Velde for Atelier Vens Vanbelle