A beautiful, idyllic natural setting, composed of old gnarled fruit trees, wild meadows, and an aging garden shed, characterizes the long, narrow property that, far from the noise of the big city on the outskirts of Stuttgart, lies amid a densely built-up residential street with wide views over the adjacent fields.

From the very first site visit, this magically atmospheric garden with its picture-book character was the heart of the client and from then on the center of the design: The aim was to realize the wish for a modern home that makes the magic of the garden tangible and perceptible in every part of the building, creating a retreat that unites old and new while shielding itself as much as possible from the outside world. Extremely strict building regulations and requirements – such as a mandatory pitched roof, extremely narrow building boundaries, and strict eave height limits – demanded the highest degree of professional expertise and execution competence from planning through construction to completion.

The studios of Anna Philipp and Ester Bruzkus, working together in wonderfully harmonious collaboration, designed an exceptional, bespoke residence that deliberately shields itself from the street and neighboring buildings while merging with nature on the garden side. The striking “wooden tunnel” on the ground floor, composed of vertically arranged wooden slats, and the white cube above it structure the almost completely closed street façade. Only the large panoramic window forms a generous, outward-opening gesture toward the street without allowing views into the interior.

The private realm of the owners remains invisible from the outside – both from the street side and from the neighboring properties – and opens only through the subtly integrated, gently sweeping pivot door. It leads into a light-flooded foyer where materials, forms, and colors harmoniously blend: The terrazzo floor designed individually by Anna Philipp and the client meets untreated wood and a fabric-covered wall opposite the elliptically ascending steel stair sculpture, which fills the open space naturally illuminated through the panoramic window.  

Upon entering the foyer, one’s gaze is drawn through the open living-dining area into the sensitively landscaped garden, which flows softly into the interior through the fully glazed sliding front and merges with the fields on the horizon. At the same time, the building opens upward through another double-height space, connecting the living-dining area with the private rooms above and enhancing the feeling of living under the open sky, close to nature. This sense of spaciousness and freedom is palpable throughout the entire house, as the natural setting continues into the upper floors through the fully glazed fronts of the master bedroom and bathroom. Even at the washbasin, at eye level with the old fruit trees, the magic of the garden can be felt.  

The modern residence represents a bespoke living environment immersed in nature that changes naturally with the rhythm of the day and the seasons, where the boundaries between inside and outside almost disappear – a refuge that unites contemporary architecture with the existing old fabric.