Those wanting a hidey-hole man cave usually turn to the garden shed – but not former plumber turned designer Fernando Abellanas.
He has designed a tiny pop-up studio under a busy overpass in Valencia, Spain.
He has a paraffin lamp so he can work there at night and if he’s feeling too weary to go home, there is bedding to nestle down on. Though he surely must need a good pair of ear plugs.
Hidey-hole: Former plumber-turned-furniture designer Fernando Abellanas has designed a pop-up studio under a busy traffic bridge in Valencia, Spain
Feat of engineering: He uses a movable platform to get from one side to the other. This is moved using a hand crank. The office can be locked up for extra privacy
The micro-unit consists of a moving platform that can be boarded on one side of the underpass and hand-cranked to the other.
Once the decking reaches the other side, it fits snugly to a desk bolted to the wall.
The wooden and metal contraption has hinged walls so that it can be completely closed off to the outer world.
Photographs of Abellanas’ man cave show that it has the perfect amount of space for one occupant.
Peace at last: He has a paraffin lamp so he can work there at night and if he’s feeling too weary to go home, there is bedding to nestle down on
Creative thinker: There is a desk, a chair and a shelving unit. All have been securely bolted to the bridge’s concrete underside. In a bid to give it a homely feel, Abellanas has decorated the space with framed photographs and a sparse smattering of art
Explaining his source of inspiration, Abellanas said: ‘The cabin as a concept has been important to me since childhood. Not the idyllic holiday cabin in the woods, but a place to take refuge in our environment’
There is a desk, a chair and a shelving unit. All have been securely bolted to the bridge’s concrete underside.
In a bid to give it a homely feel, Abellanas has decorated the space with framed photographs and a sparse smattering of art.
The designer, who is apparently self-taught, won’t disclose the exact location of his hidey-hole for fear it will be discovered.
Explaining his source of inspiration, Abellanas said: ‘The cabin as a concept has been important to me since childhood. Not the idyllic holiday cabin in the woods, but a place to take refuge in our environment.
‘The feeling of being kept hidden while still being able to hear and see what happens around us – observing passing cars and trains with no one seeing me gives me great sense of peace.’
The creative adds that the project is an ‘ephemeral intervention’, and it will remain until ‘someone finds it and decides to steal the materials, or the authorities remove it’.