Budapest-based Hello Wood has completed what it describes as “its most charming and eccentric small house ever.” Named the Jet House, the project comprises of a cottage shaped like a pastel blue airplane, set within a ring of trees in the hills of Hungary.

The project was initiated by an undaunted 12-year-old client named Lujzi, who dreamed of a playhouse she could retreat to with her friends. From Lujzi’s vision, the design team emerged with a functional tiny house which, in their words, is “more reminiscent of a beautiful design toy than a building.”

“Lujzi has always enjoyed traveling - especially flying on aircraft, which is why she had an airplane-themed cabin in her dreams,” Hello Wood explains. “She arrived at the first meetings with elaborate ideas and plans on paper. Supported by his father, she followed the design process till its end – representing an excitingly different perspective from that of typical real estate developers.”

The resulting scheme reimagines airplane elements as architectural forms. The plane’s wings form spacious terraces, while a circular window covers the plane’s nose and a short flight of airport stairs leads to the front door. Inside, authentic airplane seats and other aviation relics are complimented by soft timber elements to create a retro-inspired mood.

In total, the tiny home is comprised of over one thousand structural pieces. In order to maintain a clean silhouette free of exposed junctions, a protective waterproof coating was applied to the exterior to enhance the home’s durability.

"We were happy to accept the unusual assignment,” said project architect Tamás Fülöp. “As an architect, it is an inspiring task to design a structure that has to be ‘cute.’ It was also a challenge to incorporate traditional architectural elements into the sculptural shape - such as waterproofing, vapor barrier, and thermal insulation.”

Lujzi’s Jet is one of several Hello Wood projects to feature in our editorial, including a seasonal pavilion in Budapest from 2019 designed to protect a cherished monument. Further innovative architectural showpieces from the firm can be seen on their Archinect profile here.