Cover A Thai blueberry tree, enclosed by a transparent acrylic wall in the central courtyard garden, connects all parts of the Terrarium House. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
A Thai blueberry tree, enclosed by a transparent acrylic wall in the central courtyard garden, connects all parts of the Terrarium House. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Explore the vertical ecosystem of ‘Terrarium House’: a circular residence where a central courtyard acts as the heart of a natural microclimate
"Once you actually step inside the house, it feels more like the trees are looking at us. We're the ones who are living inside this glass jar."
That's the first feeling you get when you step inside "Terrarium House," a residential space designed by Unknown Surface Studio, a Thai design studio founded by Cievanard Nattabowonphal, Piyanat Songkhroh, and Nonglak Boonsaeng.
True to its name, the structure mimics a glass terrarium. At its heart stands a Mak Mao (Antidesma thwaitesianum) tree, or a Thai blueberry tree, an original inhabitant of the land, now encased within curved acrylic walls. This central courtyard serves as a living welcome for both the owner and their guests.
The residence is the private sanctuary of Khagee Ketjumpol, a veteran contractor and founder of the Thai woodwork brand Hashi. A collaboration between Unknown Surface Studio, Real As Tech, and Khajee’s own expertise in engineering and materials, the house functions as an "architectural laboratory." It breaks the traditional boundaries of timber work and flips the script on garden design: rather than a house that merely "surrounds a garden," this is a space where the inhabitants become part of an ecosystem, growing alongside nature.
Read more: Home tour: inside a warm minimalist home in Malaysia designed around material honesty
Above An open space that serves as a dining area, workspace, and living area, featuring a backless bench chosen to reflect the homeowner's actual needs. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
An open space that serves as a dining area, workspace, and living area, featuring a backless bench chosen to reflect the homeowner's actual needs. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Nestled within the fast-paced Lat Phrao district in Bangkok, the house provides an immediate disconnect from the outside world. The entrance functions like a tunnel, flanked by raw, rugged granite walls. These walls feature natural cross-sections that overlap to create an unintentional yet captivating aesthetic charm.
As we walked through, tall trunks pierced through circular skylights in the ceiling, reaching for the sky. During the day, sunlight pours through like natural spotlights, guiding the eye across the timber ceiling towards the garage and the reception hall. Here, a large circular aperture offers a glimpse of a vibrant artwork and a wooden stool, beckoning visitors to explore further.
Tall trees peer through circular window frames that let sunlight stream in like natural spotlights, guiding visitors' eyes towards the garage and reception area inside. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Above A foyer designed with circular opening reveals an artwork and a wooden stool before entering the house. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
A foyer designed with circular opening reveals an artwork and a wooden stool before entering the house. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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The most striking feature of this house is its circular or spherical structure in many areas. Stepping through the wooden inner door, we found a spacious interior divided into two levels, with a central courtyard connecting all the spaces.
The architect explained that the house's floor plan is actually a circle divided into four functional areas. The ground floor comprises two guest bedrooms and an open space that serves as both a dining area and a workspace, a pantry kitchen, and a living area featuring only a backless lounge chair, reflecting the homeowner's practical needs.
Additionally, there is an outdoor patio designed in a curved shape, instead of the typical rectangular garden, next to the open space. This design choice provides ample green space for several large trees, allowing residents to fully immerse themselves in the foliage.
Above An open space that serves as both a dining area and a workspace, along with a seating area featuring only a backless bench, as viewed from the second floor. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
An open space that serves as both a dining area and a workspace, along with a seating area featuring only a backless bench, as viewed from the second floor. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Above Another design feature is the circular opening in the garage that reveals an outdoor patio area inside, featuring several large trees and a wooden trellis structure that helps filter the sunlight. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
Another design feature is the circular opening in the garage that reveals an outdoor patio area inside, featuring several large trees and a wooden trellis structure that helps filter the sunlight. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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The ground-floor study room hides a clever secret: stone shelving that appears to "float." This was achieved by anchoring steel plates directly into the wall. The desk itself, fashioned from reclaimed timber in a shape reminiscent of a surfboard, demonstrates a brilliant use of surplus resources that harmonises with the home’s details.
Above "Wooden surfboard" detail on the desk in the downstairs study room, using leftover wood planks attached to the wall with metal plates (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
"Wooden surfboard" detail on the desk in the downstairs study room, using leftover wood planks attached to the wall with metal plates (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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The second floor serves as a private penthouse for the owner. It includes an art gallery for the owner’s collection, a master bedroom, a study, and a master bathroom. A long outdoor balcony also provides the perfect spot for reflecting on the day with a glass of wine.
Looking down from this height, one can observe the "pulse" of the house as it revolves around the central courtyard.
The second-floor study room (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Above The second-floor bedroom area has another tree situated in the middle of the room, with an opening that let in sunlight to greet you in the morning. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
The second-floor bedroom area has another tree situated in the middle of the room, with an opening that let in sunlight to greet you in the morning. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Top-down construction and six timbers
Building this Terrarium House was an engineering challenge. The team employed top-down construction, building from the roof downwards to preserve the perfect circular geometry of the aluminium roof.
The interior feels incredibly light and "column-less." The heavy steel load-bearing structures are ingeniously hidden within timber frames and window borders. This ensures that the inhabitant’s line of sight remains uninterrupted while looking through the acrylic walls into the central terrarium, blurring the line between indoors and outdoors.
The house's sleek, column-less structure is achieved by cleverly concealing the load-bearing steel frame with wooden window frames and sills. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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The woodwork is a symphony of six species: Burmese Ebony, Pyinkado, Ironwood, Siamese Sal, Afzelia, and Hinoki. While some were sourced by the owner, the Hinoki was provided by Timbercharm.
Each wood was chosen not just for its scent or strength, but also for how its texture and hue respond to light. The architects meticulously stained the various woods to achieve a seamless aesthetic throughout, while the Hinoki-clad guest rooms downstairs offer the tranquil, meditative atmosphere similar to a Japanese Ryokan.
Above The touch and fragrance of hinoki wood in the guest bedroom create a calm and relaxing atmosphere, reminiscent of a Japanese hotel stay. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
The touch and fragrance of hinoki wood in the guest bedroom create a calm and relaxing atmosphere, reminiscent of a Japanese hotel stay. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Above Artworks in various corners of the house. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
Above Each type of wood is chosen not only for its strength or unique fragrance, but also for its texture and shade that respond differently to sunlight at different times of the day. (Image: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
Artworks in various corners of the house. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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The courtyard: the heart and lungs of the home
The central courtyard is more than a visual centrepiece; it is a functional "lung." Utilising the chimney effect, the courtyard acts as a natural ventilation shaft, allowing hot air to rise and exit, while the Mak Mao tree filters the sunlight streaming through the skylight.
Khajee personally selected the placement of every tree to create layers of shade that shift throughout the day. By choosing slender, tall varieties, the light filters through the leaves softly, creating a microclimate that keeps the air fresh and the temperature significantly cooler than a standard home.
Above The central courtyard of the house serves as both a green space for visual relaxation and a natural ventilation shaft, following the chimney effect (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit).
The central courtyard of the house serves as both a green space for visual relaxation and a natural ventilation shaft, following the chimney effect (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit).
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The lack of solid internal walls encourages constant interaction with nature. Whether walking to the kitchen or the study, one is always in dialogue with the greenery. The architecture is designed to play with the form of the trees, making Terrarium House a vertical ecosystem that matures alongside its residents.
Read more: Home tour: a renovated Georgian townhouse in London, England filled with modern flair
Above Stamp Cievanard Nattabowonphal, one of the founders of Unknown Surface Studio (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
Stamp Cievanard Nattabowonphal, one of the founders of Unknown Surface Studio (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Light as the narrator
Sunlight is also the primary storyteller here. It doesn't just provide illumination; it dictates the mood. In the early morning, the light is soft and gentle against the Hinoki wood. By the afternoon, the sun acts as a natural brush, casting graphic shadows through the curved glass and foliage.
Above The light filtering through the various openings in the house, designed with different levels of light transmission, gives the house a different vibrancy at different times of the day. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
The light filtering through the various openings in the house, designed with different levels of light transmission, gives the house a different vibrancy at different times of the day. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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The architects varied the size of the apertures depending on the room's purpose. Quiet zones feature smaller openings for deep, focused beams of light, while communal areas are flooded with energy.
Above Light streams down from the skylight, filtering through the betel palm trees enclosed by transparent acrylic walls in the central courtyard garden. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
Above Stamp Cievanard Nattabowonphal, one of the founders of Unknown Surface Studio (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
Light streams down from the skylight, filtering through the betel palm trees enclosed by transparent acrylic walls in the central courtyard garden. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Privacy in transparency
Despite its openness, the house manages to feel intimate. However, the architecture has also proven its ability to adapt. For instance, curtains were recently added to the master bathroom after a few "accidental eye-contact" moments with neighbours!
Similarly, a television—originally excluded from the design—has found its way back in. These adjustments reflect the reality of a home that breathes and adapts to the owner's actual lifestyle.
Above A Thai blueberry tree, enclosed by a transparent acrylic wall, serves as a connector between all parts of the Terrarium House. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
A Thai blueberry tree, enclosed by a transparent acrylic wall, serves as a connector between all parts of the Terrarium House. (Photo: Worapon Teerawatvijit)
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Terrarium House is a testament to the fact that unique, avant-garde design does not have to sacrifice comfort or a connection to the earth. From the timber that will deepen in colour over the years to the trees reaching further toward the light, this is a house that is truly alive.
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Chutima Katepongchai is an assistant editor covering design, architecture, and lifestyle. Based in Bangkok, she writes about homes, spaces, and stylish living through the lens of beauty and culture.
