Jerry House

More than just a beachside family retreat, Jerry House on Cham-Am Beach near Bangkok is not only a beachside family retreat, but is also a playground and dreamworld for the young at heart.

Bangkok-based architecture studio Onion imagined what the home of the Hanna Barbera cartoon cat and mouse characters Tom and Jerry might look like. They came up with Jerry House, a home with interiors designed like a big hunk of cheese with a Möbius strip running through it.

White nets are spread across the five levels of the 4,682-square-foot house like hammocks and trampolines, so users can hang, hide, climb, and tumble along interiors that look and feel like an indoor playground.

Still thinking about the mouse Jerry and how he’s always looking for an escape route, all rooms and spaces were designed with an entry and exit point, so there are no dead-ends.

Dotted throughout the house are arch-shaped or curved passageways and openings that mimic mouse holes. On each floor, the nets have holes in different locations so that one can climb up and down to the different levels using metal ladders that connect the floors.

On the third floor, where the children's bedrooms are located, is a tunnel that links two sunken wall spaces. The children can hide in this tunnel or use it to get to their beds.

White walls and ceilings create an atmosphere that hints at the surreal. Mustard yellow, light purple, light green, and blue paint were used to demarcate the different zones. The result is a fantastical funhouse that encourages movement and play.