Šépka Architekti cranes a 34-square-metre wardrobe house into a Prague garden

Wardrobe House in Prague packs two ensuite bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms and sleeping space for several people into just 34 square metres of usable area. Local studio Šépka Architekti designed the narrow timber residence for a family outgrowing their early-20th-century villa in the city's Ořechovka district.

The client wanted independent living space for two of their children, Ema and Jan. Rather than extend the existing house, the studio placed a small detached building among mature trees at the rear of the garden.

"The inspiration for both the house and its name was its resemblance to a wardrobe standing on legs," studio founder Jan Šépka told Dezeen.

How was the house built?

Like the furniture it references, the house was prefabricated as a kit of parts. The lower section consists of steel components made in a workshop and installed on site with a crane, set on micropiles to limit damage to neighbouring tree roots. The steel frame supports the living spaces above and encloses a covered seating area, entrance and a spiral staircase.

The three-storey upper section is timber. Workers built each level in the workshop, and a crane lifted them into position in just one day. Plywood panels clad the facade.

"From the very beginning, I envisioned a timber structure that could be largely prefabricated in the workshop. The entire house essentially functions like a construction kit," said Šépka. "Given the initial inspiration – a wardrobe – I didn't really consider any other material solution."

Why does it sit at the back of the garden?

Positioning mattered as much as the construction method. Šépka wanted the new building to avoid competing with the historic villa and its surroundings.

"I didn't want to build an extension onto the existing house, so I designed a small, detached house nestled among the trees," he said. "I wanted the new house to have an understated presence, so I positioned it at the back of the garden, where there is a row of mature trees. This way, the Wardrobe House doesn't compete with the existing house or the surrounding buildings."

What fits inside 34 square metres?

The floor plan measures five by 2.5 metres. Šépka called the building "a reflection on how little space a person really needs for living".

"The total usable area of the house is only 34 square metres," he said. "Nevertheless, it can accommodate a kitchen, two rooms, bathrooms, storage spaces and sleeping space for several people."

The programme stacks vertically:

• Ground level: covered patio and entrance beneath the raised steel frame, reached by a spiral staircase.
• First floor: shared kitchen and dining space.
• Second and third floors: one bedroom each for Ema and Jan, both with a toilet, a shower and an additional fold-down bed.

Plywood panels line the interior almost entirely, matching the facade. The material covers walls, built-in furniture, kitchen cabinetry, storage and even the shower enclosures.

"I wanted the interior to feel unified and cohesive," said Šépka. "The cabinets and shelves have no doors, so everything is visible, which was intentional. This allows each room to have a slightly different atmosphere depending on what is stored in it."

The only fully openable elevation holds large panes of glass overlooking the trees. Giant shutters can close it off, completing the wardrobe analogy on the towering facade.

How does it compare to other shutter-fronted houses?

Wardrobe House joins a small group of residences that use operable screens as their primary facade gesture. TIMM Architecture fronted the House of Iron Doors in Tbilisi with weathered-steel shutters, while Olson Kundig's Hale Napo'o, a beachfront residence in Hawaii, employs a variety of wooden storm screens.

Wardrobe House demonstrates how far workshop prefabrication can shrink both footprint and build time: a crane-day for assembly and 34 square metres for a family's worth of independent living. Aleš Jungmann photographed the project.