In one of Bangkok’s neighbourhoods, the Interlude house has been designed not only to live and escape the busy urban life but also for the essential little moments in between.

When the Bangkok-based architectural firm, Ayutt and Associates design (AAd) was approached by a couple to design their future home, the brief was clear: a home where to live, a place to host up to 30 guests but also a nest to hide and reboot.

Located in a densely constructed area, the house can be only be accessed by a heavily trafficked small 4.5 meters wide road. Contiguous to its North, East, and West are apartment, condominium, and serviced apartment, respectively. This busy neighbourhood never sleeps.

The main mass of the building is placed along the three built up sides of the site which creates a substantial garden. Openings are directed towards this central court, with the pool in the foreground, green court taking centre stage, and the neighbour’s garden as a backdrop.

The Southside of the garage is a planter and tree. The mid-ground greenery connect with the neighbouring landscape visually. The house is raised half level to deflect inwards looking eyes towards the ceiling maintaining privacy in areas with large openings. Expressed and accentuated as two separate mass, the ground floor is treated as an opaque black impenetrable box. While the upstairs is treated as a lighter white box.

The house on show is a set of smoke and mirrors, choreographed to create a sequence of events. Arrival is signaled as the road frontage suddenly recessed, a dark cave like mysterious box greets onlooker, with no hint to what lays beyond but a few sprouting foliage.

The gate slides open revealing a densely planted patch ahead. To the right, an opening, through the passage, you are directed towards the light and a long corridor awaits. The space suddenly explodes into an oasis filled with light, that gradually fades in from the darkness.

Tranquility awaits; shrubberies swaying in the wind, and gentle ripples dances on the surface of the pool. As night approaches, the sun falls low, and the house begins to take on a slightly suave and glamourous persona. On the reverse, the garage wall is lined with angular aluminum feature façade. This gives the mass above a weightless illusion, seemingly hovering. The wall reflects the garden, and pool.

As people move towards it, they find copies of themselves appearing and disappearing as though passing through a house of mirrors at the fair. The wavy patterned chocolate marble wall echoes the movement of the pool runs along a linear corridor. Moving towards it the living room comes into view through the double height glazed wall, but before more details could be examined, the solid wall on the right retreats to reveal a green pocket.

This opening accentuates the greenery of the house and provide a passage for prevailing winds. Behind the tree, are perforated mirror finished aluminum panels arranged in arbitrary angles, which multiplies the green many folds which visually expands the courtyard.

The perforation is calculated to allow the maids to keep a close eye on guests from the service passage behind without being seen. Rays from this well lights up the front door, guests enter through. The client’s heritage awaits. A custom-made dining table crafted from 200 years old timber; wire brushed to show patina. Two paintings collected by the client hung immediately behind. To the left, the double height living area with a large mural of round and geometric abstractions. The kitchen surface, island, and back wall are all lined with a smart black and white marble arranged in a diamond pattern aligned with millimetre precision.

The cantilever stairs precisely crafted such that the stone pattern align and runs continuously traversing from the ecstatic ground floor to the sober upstairs. Guests can only look up and envy at where it leads. The real delight lies in the relationship the owners form with the house. From the clearstory window above the stairs, a ray of light travels down the wall and stop at the handrail, a natural sundial varying with the seasons, thick and thin rays denoting hours and minutes.

The upstairs cantilever over a third of the pool below to provide shade and ensures privacy. As the upstairs houses the private living quarters, all three sides besieged by the towering neighbouring blocks must be protected from prying eyes. The fenestrations on the North, East, and West sides are tightly controlled, carefully considered, and precisely placed to introduce light into spaces without sacrificing privacy. The Southeast corner of the dance studio is opened to take advantage of the neighbour’s foliage. The sides facing the central courtyard are generously fenestrated.

The house is designed to respond to the turbulent tropical climate. In addition to cantilever fins and eaves, to reduce direct sunlight and heavy rain, the glazing layer is recessed to create a continuous balcony. When the doors slide away, the threshold of inside outside dissolves away. The external façade shutter system provides the outermost skin to dissipate the elements, which allows natural ventilation to cool the building. Each shutter acts as a heat exchanger funnelling air through individual aluminium fin which further reduces heat intake.

The couple has no kids so only a guest bedroom and a master bedroom are required. A palette of wood and fabric reflects the relaxed atmosphere for a restful act. The space of the master suite flows naturally from bedroom to dressing room to bathroom fluidly. Though privacy is maintained with wardrobe planes and edges. The show pieces reserved for the owners to enjoy privately are less flamboyant than those shared with the guests.

The bathroom is such space, finished in solemn matured green marble, the simple interior projects serenity and stillness. The shower wall is finished in a white marble with black veins, arranged to form a pattern of three mountains. The sculptural bath is the centre piece, the semi outdoor garden provides the backdrop, naturally lit with a dissolved glass-block wall.