Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 15, 2025

Holiday Home by Orange Architects

Holiday Home by Orange Architects

The home’s compact, energy-efficient design by Orange Architects manages open and airy interiors that can instantly be adjusted for privacy.

Nestled into the trees on the beautiful Dutch island of Texel is Holiday Home, a timber-clad getaway just a 10-minute walk from the North Sea. Rotterdam-based firm Orange Architects designed the prefab for its homeowners to enjoy quality time together, prioritizing open social spaces within the confines of a roughly 970-square-foot plan. Still, it incorporates plenty of flexibility.



Holiday Home’s sculptural design features a striking black exterior juxtaposing warm and welcoming natural wood interiors.

By day, the house is an open, fluid indoor/outdoor space that extends through floor-to-ceiling windows and doors into its bucolic surroundings. Inside, centered around the kitchen are a living space with a dining area, a bedroom/library, a bathroom, and a staircase leading to a mezzanine level that houses an additional sleeping/living space.

At night, wooden panels in the hallway on the first level turn 90 degrees, transforming the living space into private rooms for sleeping. The library becomes a full-size bedroom, while the hidden shower and sink convert into an en suite bathroom.



Like the interiors, the exterior of the home is equipped to shift with changing needs: Lamellas on the terrace swivel to block the wind or provide shade from the sun.

To create the home, Orange Architects prefabricated the walls and roof off-site. "Because of its irregular shape, the structure was first fully assembled in the contractor’s workshop," explains Orange Architects. "After the structure was fitted and finished, it was then dismantled and transported to the island, where it was reassembled on-site within a very short time frame." The interiors were then built out within the protective shell of the prefab structure.

More than just a novelty, the innovative design continues to delight the homeowners. "It’s nice to see that Holiday Home-as compact as it is-feels comfortable and familiar to our client but also continues to surprise, inspire, and enchant them every day," shares Patrick Meijers, a partner at Orange Architects.



Thoughtful geometry creates Holiday Home’s distinct appearance.

Creating a sustainable home was also one of the project’s goals. The timber structure features natural ventilation, while a concrete floor adds thermal mass. The highly insulated roof is topped with almost-invisible solar panels that help cover the home’s energy needs-no fossil fuels are required.

And while Holiday Home’s energy efficiency is impressive, Meijers brings it back to how well connected the home is to its surroundings: "The cherry on the cake is the height of the entire interior space and how the cozy mezzanine features a skylight that opens to the Dutch skies and stars."



The overhanging eaves provide a covered place to sit and enhance the homes airy, open feel.



The open-plan living area is centered around the kitchen. Full-height glass doors open the home to its surroundings and provide a strong indoor/outdoor connection.



A staircase leads up to a mezzanine with a sleeping/living space.



At night, the library transforms into an en suite bedroom.



The mezzanine level provides an additional sleeping area, as well as place to gaze at the stars.



At night, the home glows from within.



"We love the space, because of the different heights and the light," share the homeowners.



Holiday Home Floor Plan



Holiday Home Front Elevation



Holiday Home Side Elevation

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
×