Design studio Z_Lab has included a huge porthole window and sunken bath inside this tiny guesthouse in northern Seoul, which measures under 30 square metres.
Nuwa is tucked down a narrow alley in Seochon, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Seoul's Jongno-gu district.
The guesthouse takes over a traditional Korean home ? otherwise known as a hanok ? that measures just 29.3 square meters.

It initially had poor insulation and waterproofing, meaning locally-based Z_Lab had to completely gut the structure to make it hospitable enough to host Nuwa.
The interior now plays host to serene living spaces finished in natural tones. One corner accommodates a sleeping nook, where a mattress is supported by a slightly elevated plinth.

An adjacent wall has been punctuated with a huge porthole, giving guests a view of the small landscaped garden outdoors. The window was also included as a loose reference to wayu, a Korean term for "laying down and sightseeing".

"[Wayu] is a way of enjoying the spirit of entertainment and art," explained the studio.
"Figuratively, it means enjoying paintings or books describing the landscape or historical sites, or appreciating small gardens at home when the time to go out into nature is not possible."

"The round window is not an architectural vocabulary that's frequently used in traditional Korean architecture," said the studio's principal designer, Junghyun Park.

"It was used in the house of several the ari...