The world population is on a trajectory that just doesn’t seem to be planning on slowing down. As we squeeze up closer together, we need to figure out what we really want to get out of the spaces we use. In a way this is a bit of a blessing for design as focus is put on what is important rather than bells and whistles. One kind of home that is particularly suited to a little nip and tuck is the vacation home. Since they are not used daily nor do they need to contain everything we have in our primary homes, attention should rather be given making these great places to relax.

Italian studio Es Arch has cut out the BS to create a “micro” weekend retreat that uses space super efficiently. Affectionately called “Wardrobe,” this 376 square foot house is squeezed in between two other farmhouses in Madesimo in Lombardy, Italy. The cozy size of house diverts attention away from it and instead to the beautiful alpine landscape outside. The façade of the house and its window shutters have been treated with silver-gray paint that looks like the aged wood of the surrounding buildings. These wooden panels have been altered between vertical and horizontal assembly, breaking up the surface into an abstract piece of art. Inside, the walls, floors and ceilings of the house have been clad in the same warm pine that creates a cozy womb to look out on the landscape from.

“Wardrobe” is a place of contemplation that has been stripped of everything we need in our urban environments, but want to get away from every now and then.

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