Based on an elongated U-shaped floorplan, Villa JM as designed by Powerhouse Company, presents a secretive stone face to the world, revealing only a tantalizing glimpse of its inner world in the shape of its central courtyard. Inspired by the location, an extensive wooded site in the south of the Netherlands, Villa JM has discreetly positioned expanses of glass to offer the best of the natural views, while closed volumes safeguards privacy. Natural stone and wood add depth to the elementary one-story design, which pairs sober straight lines and monumental volumes with seductive curves and sinuous glass walls. From the road, Villa JM is a closed stone rectangle, pierced only by one large opening. This monumental opening reveals its inner courtyard garden, giving a hint of the warm interior. Raising the entire building, including all terraces, some 40cm above ground level, adds to its monumentality and presence in the landscape, while providing the villa with several integrated terraces. The glass-walled courtyard garden translates the surrounding landscape into a domestic context.