Strolling through the woods outside of Xin Yu City in China's eastern Jiangxi Province, one might stumble across a peculiar little cottage: shaped like a cone dropped from one of the surrounding pine trees and sitting slightly elevated from the forest floor, the dwelling begins to blur the line between nature and fabricated shelter.

Dubbed The Mushroom, the 50-square-meter (538 square feet) house is composed of two basic, intersecting volumes: "The main part of the mushroom is the guest room space, with a panoramic window set up near the viewing height," as the project description explains. "When sitting on chairs or leaning on the bed, the guests are immersed in the surrounding nature."

"The loft serves as a child area, linked by the small-scale stairs. The pure white cone-shaped roof is rounded on top, creating a sense of unbounded extension to the space."

"The bathroom and storage space are arranged in a simple rectangular volume, which is inserted into the main body of the Mushroom. A horizontal window is designed next to the bathtub, avoiding the view from pedestrian path to ensure privacy, while bringing nature into the space."

"Meanwhile, the circular skylight at the top introduces different expressions of light and shadows with the change of time and weather. This poetic space also serves as the entrance lobby of the house, where the guests often visit and linger."

"The Mushroom house adopts a lifted steel structure to minimize the impact of construction on the site. As time goes by, green plants on the ground will gradually spread to embrace the building. The cone-shape roof is clad with pine woods, while the rest of the house is coated with granolithic concrete. The material changes in color with humidity and time, allowing the building to harmonize with the surrounding natural environment."

The Mushroom was designed by architects Sean Shen, Xuanru Chen, and Yuying Kate Tsai of Shanghai-based studio ZJJZ.