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Floating Pavilion Guest House Suggests Monet Painting

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Wirra Willa is a tiny pavilion guest house that seems to float on the lily pond, creating a scene straight from a Monet painting.

The tranquil guest house was designed for his father by architect Mathew Woodward in New South Wales, Australia, on an 80-acre former citrus fruit orchard.

It comprises simply a bedroom at one end, a living room at the other.

On cold winter nights, the living room offers a toasty fire.

But the living room floor can slide back and now it is a hot tub room that contrasts its heat with the cold lily pond outside.

All of the glazing supporting the roof disappears, leaving just a bedroom curtain to appear as the major structural element.

A breeze catching and gently swaying the curtain becomes part of the architectural design.

During the day this curtain is slid to the central passageway between the bedroom and the living room over the pond.

Woodward designed the space as an homage, echoing the Mies van der Rohe ‘floating’ Fansworth House.

The style of the small structure complements the existing larger residence in place, but pared down to the essentials for peaceful living.

A walk-in shower is little more than a passageway – that also overlooks the lily pond.

A lovely space that encourages reflection and repose.