Copenhagen-based architect Martin Kallesø was tasked with a simple program: create a freestanding guest room so that visitors have a private and cozy place to lay their heads. What ensued was a mashup of local influence, Japanese stylings and irregular geometry.
From neighboring structures, many of which date from the 1960s, Kallesø took the slope of the roofline, materials (larch), and also coloring. The interior, however, has its sources 5,400 miles away. "Last spring I went on a sort of field trip to Japan to study the country's architecture," he says. "There is a tendency to use the same wooden paneling on the floor, roof, ceiling, and walls to create a unified whole."

Though Kallesø spied the ancient architecture of Kyoto to the works of Tadao Ando, it was the Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa that proved to be most influential to him. "SANAA designed this single family house in the middle of Tokoyo that consists of many small white boxes—everything is white, white, white. In that same sense, I tried to translate that overall use of whiteness and the contemporary Japanese way of keeping things very simple," says Kalleso.

Equipped with a double bed, closet, and window box, the room is a simple yet peaceful retreat. The interior boasts and extra wide window box, which is long enough for Kalleso to sleep in and is his favorite aspect of the design. From the window, there is an unobstructed view through the garden and above, a skylight that frames a birdhouse that's been a longstanding home to a neighborhood owl.

Also Appears In

8 Modern Paneled Rooms