Houzz Tour: A Unique Hexagonal Home Inspired by a Beehive
Architect and designer Barry Jackson designed the Hivehaus as a simple way of living that is practical as well as comfortable
A documentary about honey bees building a hive inspired Barry Jackson’s eureka moment, prompting him to create a hexagonal modular housing concept, called the Hivehaus, that would be both comfortable, sustainable and affordable.
‘I have always been interested in achieving a more simple and compact way of living,’ says Barry. ‘Developing a pod housing system that you can add to when you like seemed like a natural thing for me to do.’
Barry saw the potential in the hexagon’s stable and practical shape and created his modular house around this theme. Channel 4 TV programme George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces featured Barry’s design and his idea has proved so successful that he’s now exhibiting it around the country at design shows.
When it came to the interiors, Barry enlisted the expertise of designer Lois Griffin, from interior design service and shop Our Green Room, to help realise his ‘future retro’ vision. ‘Barry and I both believe in minimalist living,’ says Lois. ‘This whole concept is about cutting back and only living with what you need without any excess, so I wanted the furniture to reflect this, but still be stylish and contemporary.’
The result is a beautifully simple and versatile design for a pared-back but comfortable life.
‘I have always been interested in achieving a more simple and compact way of living,’ says Barry. ‘Developing a pod housing system that you can add to when you like seemed like a natural thing for me to do.’
Barry saw the potential in the hexagon’s stable and practical shape and created his modular house around this theme. Channel 4 TV programme George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces featured Barry’s design and his idea has proved so successful that he’s now exhibiting it around the country at design shows.
When it came to the interiors, Barry enlisted the expertise of designer Lois Griffin, from interior design service and shop Our Green Room, to help realise his ‘future retro’ vision. ‘Barry and I both believe in minimalist living,’ says Lois. ‘This whole concept is about cutting back and only living with what you need without any excess, so I wanted the furniture to reflect this, but still be stylish and contemporary.’
The result is a beautifully simple and versatile design for a pared-back but comfortable life.
Barry’s vision was to create simple, versatile accommodation using hexagonal pods that can be fitted together depending on how many rooms you need. ‘Each pod has an individual purpose, so if you need another bedroom, you simply buy another bedroom pod,’ says Barry. ‘If you can save money on your home, you have more available to do all the other things you want.’
The living space is compact but comfortable and flooded with light. ‘In here, all your basic needs for living are covered,’ says Barry. Each Hivehaus module also has its own sky dome to let light in and the roof is designed so that you can grow plants on it.
Check out these skylights that will bring sunshine into your world
Check out these skylights that will bring sunshine into your world
The wood-burning stove keeps the living space warm in winter, but it forms part of a wall that can also be rotated out to open the living space pod up in summer. Here, it becomes a feature on the deck. ‘We wanted to create a very flexible space,’ says Barry, ‘with that feeling of being outside when you are inside and vice versa. By opening up the walls, you are also effectively doubling your living space.’
The floor-to-ceiling windows ensure the pods are flooded with light, and they can be swung open. ‘I wanted to create a relaxed, calm place to be and to bring the outdoors inside,’ says Barry. The simplicity and clean lines of the design was influenced by Barry’s love of Bauhaus architecture. He sourced the wood-burning stove locally from Vesta Stoves.
‘I’m quite influenced by TV shows of the 1970s,’ says Barry. ‘I wanted the pods to have a retro feel to them - what I call “future retro”.’ When it came to decorating the living area, Lois gave a contemporary twist to Barry’s retro brief. ‘I wanted to make it current, which I have done by adding some colour to the scheme,’ says Lois. ‘We wanted to show that you don’t need a lot to make a room look good. The space is not cluttered — it’s all about making a statement with a few key pieces.’ The picture is from Print Process and is by Matt (H) Booth and the sofa is from And Then Design, a British company that uses local materials where possible.
Barry worked with a local company, Culshaw Bell, to create a fully functioning kitchen that would take up a tiny amount of space. Lois chose the table from And Then Design to create a juxtaposition with the straight lines in this area. ‘I didn’t want it to be all sharp angles and lines everywhere,’ she explains. ‘The rounded legs and top of the table mix things up a bit.’
Every centimetre of space in the kitchen pod has been thoughtfully used, to create a clever, functional area. ‘It has everything you need in it,’ says Barry. ‘There is an induction hob and a microwave and the cupboards are standard size.’
Where space is tight, great design really matters, but the kitchen demonstrates how Barry has thought of everything. ‘There is even space for a washing machine or dishwasher in here if you want,’ he says.
The shower room is a smaller pod which is simply added on to the rest of the house. ‘It’s a fully functional wet room,’ says Barry. ‘It is completely waterproof and tanked up and there is a toilet as well. It is compact, but it is easily big enough to function well and actually feels surprisingly roomy when you are in it.’
See wet rooms for every style and size of bathroom
See wet rooms for every style and size of bathroom
Lois had the bedside tables made bespoke by Niche London. ‘We had to think carefully about the shape as we didn’t want them to look clumsy,’ she says. ‘These are hexagonal and fit perfectly. They also open up, and there is plenty of storage space inside.’
The bedroom has actually got a little triangle tagged onto it to create a walk-in wardrobe. The chair, by Zartan, is one of Lois’ star finds. ‘Barry asked for some designer plastic and this one is made from recycled plastic,’ she says. ‘It is ecofriendly and it looks great, too!’
The Original Dutchtub, by Dutch firm Weltevree, is a polyester teacup-style hot tub. The water is heated via a wood-fired burner and coiled piping that sit on one side of it. ‘This house offers the perfect mix of an indoor and outdoor lifestyle,’ says Barry. ‘It’s clutter-free living, stripped right back.’
Do you like this hexagonal home? Let us know why in the Comments below.
Do you like this hexagonal home? Let us know why in the Comments below.