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Small Wonders
Little detached structures create a place to get away from it all
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. I am licensed to practice architecture in Illinois, Florida, New Jersey & Wisconsin and I am a certificate holder from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Since 1996 I have worked from my home office and provide full architectural services exclusively to the single family residential market. My passion is to transform my clients' houses into their homes. I strive to have the "new" home accommodate my clients' lives without fighting them at every junction. I look to add curb appeal to encourage a beautiful streetscape. And I design any addition to look and feel like it has always been there.
Our projects have won numerous design awards as well as having...
Houzz Contributor. My name is Bud Dietrich and I am an architect located... More »
The dictionary app on my iPhone alerts me every afternoon to a "word of the day." The other day it came up with "opuscule," a word I'd never before encountered. It turns out to be a derivation of the Latin word, opus (a piece of literary or musical work, as in Mr. Holland's Opus). And, just as in Spanish where one can add "ita" to any noun to mean the diminutive of that noun, one can add "cule" in Latin to achieve the same result. So "opuscule" literally means "diminutive work" or, in this interpretation, a small, endearing literary or artistic composition.
There is a long tradition of architectural opuscule, particularly in general and residential design. For example, there are the garden follies of the 19th-century landscapes. In more recent times, there are observation towers, tea houses, garden sheds, detached garages and more. What they all have in common is their small size and endearing quality.
So the next time you start to plan a new project, be it a new home or backyard play area, consider your own opuscule and, as always, have fun.
There is a long tradition of architectural opuscule, particularly in general and residential design. For example, there are the garden follies of the 19th-century landscapes. In more recent times, there are observation towers, tea houses, garden sheds, detached garages and more. What they all have in common is their small size and endearing quality.
So the next time you start to plan a new project, be it a new home or backyard play area, consider your own opuscule and, as always, have fun.
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| An opuscule can be a small, detached retreat set at the edge of the garden. A fine place for reading, painting, composing or just getting away from it all. |
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by Birdseye Design
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| An opuscule can be an open-air structure nestled in the woods to take in the view. Perhaps a small wood-burning stove or fireplace adds just the right amount of heat for comfort. |
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| Like a 19th-century folly, this observation tower stands apart from the main house. Whereas the house is all horizontal, hugging the earth, the tower is all vertical ... |
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... to mark a human presence on the land as well as provide a vantage point from which to view the landscape.
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| Perhaps the opuscule is actually a grand place to gaze at the heavens, rather than the landscape. |
An opuscule doesn't have to be costly. A simple box like this can make a grand gesture.
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| Detached garages can easily be made into small and endearing works. All that's needed is careful attention to detail. |
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| An opuscule can start as a simple storage shed that becomes integrated and in tune with the surrounding architecture. |
by Kirk Wood Homes
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Though an opuscule is typically small ...
by Kirk Wood Homes
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... it can live large.
An opuscule can be a children's play set with the simple addition of a roof and railing to define and enclose the space. The addition of a small chair completes the transformation of the space from a pass-through to a destination.
More: Complete Your Garden with a Backyard Cottage
14 Picture-Perfect Playhouses
Secret Forts Indoors
Tiny Home Built for Big Adventure
Guest House and Grotto in 68 Square Feet
More: Complete Your Garden with a Backyard Cottage
14 Picture-Perfect Playhouses
Secret Forts Indoors
Tiny Home Built for Big Adventure
Guest House and Grotto in 68 Square Feet
Ideabook published on Dec. 26, 2011.
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I've always been drawn to small and cozy, and now I have a great new word to describe them.
Jean D.
Thanks for illumination.