Birch Tree House is a thoughtful addition to an early-twentieth-century brick terrace house, located in the Maastricht suburb of Sint Pieter. This tiny little project has been a labour of love for me, which started when my client, Jasper, asked me to design a low-budget addition to their home.

The projects aim was to create a better connection between the house and its small rear garden and to introduce a sense of light into the house. The design was conceived as a 'garden room' sitting gently between house and garden.

To make this tiny addition feel generous and spatious, a couple of spatial tools were used. The most important one being the dramatic change in ceiling height - also known as "compressing and releasing space".

Jasper, who is a landscape architect, wasn't afraid to bring the glass facade really close up to the existing birch trees. This remarkable collaboration between landscape and architecture has created a wonderfully serene atmosphere inside. Sitting at the dining table is like sitting under a tree, with dappled sunlight filling the room with a quiet softness. Appreciating the shadows in an almost Japanese way.

Photography: @max.verreijt