This Beguiling Guesthouse in Belgium Has an Underground Cinema and a Watchtower
Crafted with layered wood and clad in Cor-Ten steel, a film lover’s backyard retreat offers a series of surprises.
![This Beguiling Guesthouse in Belgium Has an Underground Cinema and a Watchtower](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6133430487221952512/6659086292829396992/small.jpg?#)
Crafted with layered wood and clad in Cor-Ten steel, a film lover’s backyard retreat offers a series of surprises.
![](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6133430487221952512/6659086292829396992/large.jpg)
When a homeowner in the film industry asked Atelier Vens Vanbelle to build a guesthouse in his backyard, he had only one request—that it be unforgettable.
Connected to the main residence in Berlare, Belgium, by an underground corridor that leads guests up a spiral staircase, Alex Guesthouse is a three-story retreat encompassing a basement cinema and bar, a main living floor, and a watchtower surveying the Schelde river. Its sculptural, layered form was created off-site with laminated wood, then built on the property and clad in Cor-Ten steel. The undulating interiors give this backyard cabin a whimsical, grotto-like feel.
![](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6133430487221952512/6659086300337479680/medium.jpg)
Photo: Tim Van de Velde
![](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6133430487221952512/6659086298244243456/medium.jpg)
Photo: Tim Van de Velde
![](https://images.dwell.com/photos/6133430487221952512/6659086296465858560/medium.jpg)
Photo: Tim Van de Velde
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