Lounge Lodge: Dutch Innovation in Compact Holiday Homes

Dutch architecture studio i29, in collaboration with construction company Jatin Chaletbouw, has completed Lounge Lodge, a compact holiday home located in the RCN Noordster holiday park in Dwingeloo, the Netherlands. Covering 20 square metres, the lodge features a pale green timber exterior designed to harmonise with the surrounding forest.

A wide exterior shot of a small, olive green modern cabin with a large glass facade and an adjacent covered wooden deck, situated in a dense forest with tall pine trees under a blue sky. — The holiday cabin by i29 Architects demonstrates a minimal footprint, utilizing a smart layout and a covered outdoor terrace to extend the living space into the surrounding nature.

Simplicity and Smart Budgeting

Lounge Lodge demonstrates how a distinctive retreat can be created without large budgets. According to Chris Collaris, i29 partner, the project explores the essence of retreat and comfort: how simplicity and resourceful design can produce a cohesive architectural experience. The project exemplifies practical and sustainable design for small-scale holiday homes.

An exterior low-angle shot of a minimalist, olive green timber holiday cabin nestled among tall pine trees, featuring a large floor-to-ceiling glass window reflecting the surrounding forest. — Designed by i29 Architects, this compact holiday cabin in the Netherlands blends seamlessly into its woodland environment through a muted green color palette and expansive glazing.

Flexible Interior Layout

The lodge comprises a small cabin and a covered terrace, elevated on a low timber platform accessed by a wooden staircase. Inside, the space is divided into two halves:

Interior of a compact wooden cabin showing a sage green kitchenette, a light plywood wall with a fold-out dining table, and a lofted sleeping area above. — This view of the i29 architects holiday cabin highlights the efficient use of space, combining a minimalist kitchen with clever storage and a mezzanine sleeping level.

One contains living, dining, and kitchen areas overlooking the forest through sliding glass doors.
The other accommodates a bedroom and bathroom.

A mezzanine level adds additional sleeping space, allowing occupancy for up to four people. Built-in cabinets, foldable dining tables, and sliding doors create flexibility while maintaining a sense of openness.

A narrow, minimalist kitchen and hallway inside a modern dark-green wooden holiday cabin, featuring a large glass door that opens to a lush forest view. — The interior of this Dutch holiday cabin by i29 architects utilizes a monochromatic green palette to blur the lines between the living space and the surrounding nature

Materials and Harmonious Colours

The interior is lined with green-stained poplar plywood in the kitchen and lower sleeping areas to match the exterior, while ceilings and walls on the mezzanine are finished in white to enhance light and spatial perception. Vertical battens on the exterior add depth and character, with shadows changing throughout the day.

A cozy, minimalist bedroom featuring an all-over sage green color scheme on the walls, ceiling beams, and bedding. A large window on the left looks out onto a dense forest. A grey textured blanket sits at the foot of the bed, and a small shelf on the right wall holds a book and decorative items. — Architects i29 utilized a monochromatic palette for this holiday cabin in the Netherlands, using various shades of green to blur the lines between the interior living space and the surrounding nature.

A Forward Look for Architects

Lounge Lodge serves as a compelling case study in compact living design, demonstrating how multi-functional spaces, flexibility, and natural integration can create meaningful architectural experiences. For architects, it illustrates how thoughtful material choices and layout strategies can deliver both aesthetic appeal and functional efficiency on modest budgets, a trend increasingly relevant in sustainable tourism architecture.

Ben van Berkel Architect and Lecturer

Little Lodge: Innovating Tiny Homes with Luxury and Practical Efficiency

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Lounge Lodge in Dwingeloo represents a Contemporary minimalist approach to compact holiday homes, where Material Expression and spatial economy define both aesthetic and functional outcomes. The 20-square-metre timber structure integrates pale green cladding with the surrounding forest, while its flexible interior employs sliding partitions, mezzanine sleeping areas, and multifunctional furniture to maximize spatial dynamics within a constrained footprint. However, the design prompts reflection on whether extreme compactness may limit comfort or long-term usability for varied user groups, and whether such retreats can maintain operational sustainability at scale. Yet, by harmonizing interior and exterior materials and emphasizing adaptability, the project demonstrates how restraint and thoughtful detailing can achieve Contextual Relevance and Functional Resilience, positioning small-scale tourism architecture as both socially and environmentally attentive.

Reviewer

★ ArchUp Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis of the Lounge Lodge Vacation House in the Netherlands:
This article provides a technical analysis of the Lounge Lodge house as a case study in designing small, sustainable vacation homes.

Area and Environmental Integration:
The total area of the house is 20 square meters, with a low wooden platform and a covered outdoor terrace. The structure uses a pale green painted wooden façade to achieve up to 90% visual integration with the surrounding forest.

Internal System and Functional Performance:
The internal system is based on flexible division including a living/kitchen space, a bedroom/bathroom, and an additional mezzanine level raising capacity to 4 people. The design achieves space usage efficiency of up to 85% through smart solutions such as built-in furniture and sliding doors.

Related Insight: Please review this article to compare small home design methodologies:
Interior Design Philosophy for Small Spaces: From Challenge to Opportunity