Timber-louvered house maximizes privacy and light in rural Germany

Two traditional gabled volumes are unified with wooden louvers, in Kuhnlein Architecktur’s Timber House in rural Germany.

The double-peaked home is divided into two sections, keeping living spaces and bedrooms separated by an interior courtyard. Located in an idyllic plot in Bavaria, the design gives its residents two yards, and a private outdoor space to enjoy while maximizing privacy with strategically-placed wooden slats.

From afar, the Timber House appears like identical side-by side homes, completely devoid of windows. The solid-looking timber walls are actually made up of a series of tightly spaced slats, which cover floor to ceiling windows on the interior. From the inside, the slats diffuse ample natural light into each room, while also providing a privacy screen from outside eyes. Between each volume, the floor to ceiling glass is left exposed, connecting each volume with the yard between them.

Inside, the timber continues, with exposed structural framework, oak floors, as well as wooden tables, cabinets and effects. The timber interior is coupled with copper fittings like lighting, switches, handles and faucets. Custom made sockets and lamps were designed to tie the look together. The effect brings a continuous line of timber and copper throughout the interior, contrasting with the green landscape outside.

One gabled structure houses a large, open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room that open onto the yard with sliding glass doors. This other volume contains three bedrooms, each which have garden-facing windows and doors. The modern home reconfigures a traditional farm house, integrating nature into the residents’ daily life.