Nhong Bua House by Make It Pop
Nhong Bua House stretches low along a lakeside plot in Thailand, arranged by local studio Make It Pop as a calm, light-filled house for everyday life. White gabled volumes, breezeblock screens, and long glazed walls pull in views of water and garden while holding back the tropical sun. Inside, pale timber floors and a restrained palette keep the focus on air, shade, and the changing light across the courtyard pool.
Morning light slides across the white gables as the house rises just above the grass and quiet water. Long glass walls catch sky and trees, while the breezeblock edges stay cool in shade.
This single-story house in Thailand, conceived by Make It Pop, orients daily life toward the garden and lakeside setting. A slim profile and loosely linked pavilions respond to heat and humidity by chasing shade, breeze, and filtered daylight. Context drives each move, from screened walls facing the road to generous glazing that opens toward water, lawn, and pool.
Aligning With Water
From the opposite bank, the composition reads as a bright bar stretching between mature trees, its shallow roofline echoing the horizon. Full-height sliding doors line the lakefront side, turning the living areas into verandas when open and framing reflections when closed. The bedroom at one end holds the clearest relationship, its glazed gable placing the bed directly on axis with the water edge. Waking up means stepping a few paces from timber floor to grass.
Filtering Heat And Views
Toward the road, the house turns inward behind white breezeblock walls that temper sun and sightlines. These porous surfaces allow air to slip through, relieving heat without sacrificing privacy from passing cars and neighbors. Small gardens and gravel beds rest against the patterned masonry, softening the edge while keeping maintenance low in the tropical climate. Between solid and open panels, a glass block slot drops daylight deep into the interior corridor.
Courtyard Life Around The Pool
At the center, the plan pinches inward to form a courtyard where pool, deck, and covered terrace run parallel to the main living rooms. Slim steel pergola blades extend from the roof, stretching shade over the terrace while still admitting high, dappled light. Sliding glass connects kitchen, dining, and lounge directly to the water, so movement from coffee table to pool edge involves only a few barefoot steps. Outdoor seating groups cluster here, turning the courtyard into the social heart from early morning swims to late-night conversations.
Light Volumes For Daily Rituals
Inside, gabled ceilings rise over each main room, creating generous volume without adding height to the roofline. Clerestory strips at the ridge bring in soft light while keeping sun angles high enough to avoid glare on screens and worktops. The palette stays pared back: pale timber flooring, white walls, and light wood cabinetry carry through living room, kitchen, and bedroom, so shadows and greenery outside provide most of the color. Everyday routines—cooking, lounging, working—play out in line with the garden edge and pool, guided by the rhythm of light across the floorboards.
By late afternoon, the lake mirrors the house again, now picking up warm tones from the interior as lights flick on under the pergola. Breezeblock walls hold on to a trace of heat, yet shaded rooms feel open to air and surrounding trees. Nhong Bua House settles into its narrow site as a clear, climate-tuned frame for water, sky, and the unfolding days of its residents.
Photography courtesy of Make It Pop
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