For her new rural home that seamlessly blends living and working, architect Frances Lieb designed a flexible spatial structure that adapts to changing life circumstances. Situated on a 1,000 m² plot at the village's edge, this two-storey residence with basement sits among scattered single-family homes and working farms. A stream winds through the gently sloping terrain, requiring a bridge for access. Deliberately departing from the traditional gabled roofs surrounding it, the house makes a striking architectural statement.

A concrete frame encloses the entrance with external stairs and incorporates the garage. The open floor plan features luminous, flowing rooms across approximately 253 m², where the terrain's slope becomes a defining design element. Set lower than the lounge terrace, the living room—with its generous 3.30-metre ceiling—opens to verdant views through floor-to-ceiling wood-aluminium windows. Textured exposed concrete walls with rough-sawn formwork create a compelling visual contrast. Above, a concrete canopy frames the higher terrace and extends the dining area into sheltered outdoor space. The hall and kitchen function as built-in cabinetry, a sculptural cube of rough-sawn, smoke-finished oak, accommodating the basement stairs and a second service kitchen with garage access. The kitchen truly anchors the home, distinguished by its striking Panonia Green granite cladding. The cantilevered stairs do more than connect the floors spatially—they establish visual continuity through material consistency: the same oak appears in the kitchen cabinetry, floor-to-ceiling doors, and upper-floor flooring. Between the living and dining zones, a wood stove radiates warmth and atmosphere, echoed in the concrete outdoor kitchen. The architect's studio occupies the single-storey section, positioned perpendicular to the main house while providing privacy screening for the exterior living space. The façade balances plaster, medium-grey exposed concrete, and vertical aluminium profiles to create a dynamic interplay. The expressive horizontal texture of the exterior concrete flows seamlessly to the interior living room surfaces, forging a material symbiosis between outside and in.

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Photos:
Jessica Bulling
www.jessicabulling.com

(Published in CUBE Stuttgart 02|24)