The house, designed as a white, minimalist cube, does not immediately reveal the rich and inviting material palette chosen for its interior spaces. The large openings on the façades are covered with an elegant aluminum screen composed of a delicate vertical linear grid. This grid of aluminum louvers is “broken” by subtle horizontal shifts, lending the façades a lighter, slightly playful character — a hint of what awaits inside.
The interior materiality is rich and textured, yet it softens and humanizes the space, making it more approachable for its inhabitants. It creates an environment that is both functional and aesthetically inviting.
The public space on the ground floor is entirely covered with a ceiling of wooden slats stretching from one end — where the kitchen is located — to the other, which houses the living room. These slats extend outwards to the covered exterior area, creating a continuous, linear language that binds the indoor and outdoor spaces into a single integrated unit. Lighting fixtures are embedded within this grid, maintaining the same linear rhythm. At times, the lighting breaks the pattern slightly, adding a graphic play across the ceiling plane.
The functional division of the ground floor is defined by a glass cube placed at the center of the space, detached from the surrounding walls. This allows for fluid movement between the kitchen and family area on one side and the dining and living areas on the other. The cube contains essential domestic functions — a staircase, guest restroom, storage, utilities, and kitchen cabinetry — all neatly packed and concealed behind frosted glass. This transforms the cube into a visually intriguing and elegant centerpiece. As evening falls, the lighting turns the structure into a minimalist, glowing volume — a functional and visual anchor around which the rest of the home is organized.
The staircase inside the cube, visible through the glass, becomes a dynamic visual element. Its outline contributes motion and depth, turning it into an almost cinematic frame — reminiscent of video art.
In this project, art becomes an integral part of both materiality and architecture. It emerges from unexpected corners, morphs through form, material, graphics, sculpture, and wall-mounted elements. The space is designed to naturally host the art — allowing it to become a product, a semi-functional element, like furniture or building material. It is accessible, immediate, and woven seamlessly into the everyday life of the home — just like the space itself.
The graphic language throughout the home, inspired by public space design, adds another layer of communication between the space and its users — with a humorous wink that reminds us that sometimes, just sometimes, things don’t need to be taken so seriously.
House of Pop
Axelrod Architects
Silver

1 / 17

Peter Meinders
Lecturer
at Saxion University of Applied Sciences
I'm a big fan of humor. But this ho...
7
8.5
8.5
6.5
7.63

Billy Ip
Principal, Global Sector Leader - Retail
at Woods Bagot
7
7.5
8
6.5
7.25

Hong-Bo Cheng
Founder and Creative Designer
at LubanEra·Design
6
7.5
7
6
6.63

Sam Derrick
Managing Director
at Brinkworth
Some nice bits, but I've never foun...
7
7
7
6.5
6.88

Laetitia Murguet
Founder
at Oani Studio
7
7.5
6
7.5
7

Fo Chen
General Manager
at Guangzhou Baietan Mixc
7.5
7
7.5
7
7.25
Kevin Mclachlan
CEO
at NOMADK
Functional well executed home...
7
8
8
7.5
7.63

Sarika Shetty
Partner
at SJK Architects
7
7
7
6.5
6.88
Location
Designer
Client
The S family
Floor area
370 ㎡
Completion
2024
Aluminium
Kitchen
Sanitary
Bathroom wall cladding
Furniture
Lighting
Wooden ceiling