There is something intentionally quirky about a tiny hat-shaped teahouse in a backyard in Ostrava, a Czech city near the Polish border. Built to accommodate three for tea, the steep-roofed structure has a view of a charming garden—and in the distance, of the less picturesque coal waste dumps on the outskirts of the city.

Architects David Maštálka and Lenka KÅ™emenová of A1Architects have been obsessed with teahouses ever since they were students at Prague's Academy of Art, Architecture and Design and traveled together to Japan on a fact-finding mission. Yesterday we featured their Charred and Blackened Teahouse in the Czech Republic, which KÅ™emenová described as another modern "micro-space, beautiful and cozy and comfortable to stay in for hours."

Photographs via A1Architects.

Above: The teahouse, constructed of oak, sits on dark gray foundation stones. Dark larch facing and a shingle roof are made of natural materials that emphasize the teahouse's relationship to its garden setting.

Above: A hidden drawer under the bench provides storage.

Above: "The Hat has an expressively dwarfed roof lining, and the almost square layout transforms upwards into the round shape of skylight," according to A1Architects.

Above: The view can be manipulated by sliding doors and the use of outer shutters.

Above: "Big inspiration for all of our tea houses was a personal meeting with Japanese architect Terunobu Fujimori and an experience with his own teahouse Takasugi-an in Nagano prefecture," according to A1Architects.

Above: The wall lifts open, garage-door style, and the interior walls are lined with oak plywood.

Above: Fruit trees and the raised beds of a productive cutting garden surround the teahouse.

For another teahouse designed by A1Architects, see A Teahouse, Blackened and Charred (On Purpose).