This Creative Wall Of Dowels Hide A Bathroom Within

As part of the renovation of a loft in Chelsea, Massachusetts, MERGE Architects designed a wall with over 40,000 wooden dowels, to cover the exterior of the bathroom.

The architect’s description

This intervention into a private loft uses over 40,000 individual wooden dowels. The dowels activate a pegboard wall liner that wraps a new, second bathroom space.

The pegs were cut at 30 different lengths and then individually inserted into a grid of ½”-diameter CNC-cut holes.

The resulting undulating surface operates as both storage space and enclosure. The thickened wall surface provides a unique bookcase for the owner’s extensive book collection while reading as both grid and surface.

The bathroom itself, lined in bright green tile, is accessed through a hidden operable panel within the pegboard envelope.