The Nest photos © Hiroyuki Oki via ArchDaily

Sometimes you've just got to take a minute for yourself. But finding a quiet space in the middle of the workday or in the urban outdoors can be near impossible. From womb-like structures to nest-like homes, this week we have folks who have taken their drive for privacy to the public.

Made from inexpensive, reclaimed and abandoned materials, the Nest house was designed by a21 Studio in Vietnam as the perfect perch for a long-time architecture admirer. The corrugated and fenced façade is a platform for greenery to climb, which will eventually create a natural barrier to the open-air kitchen and living room on the ground floor.

What kind of seating is ideal for a pharmacy setting? The London-based design studio TILT collaborated with both staff and patients at Whittington Hospital to find out what would make them most comfortable. The Quiet chair, made of larch plywood with an upholstered interior, is a pentagonal structure that nearly envelops the sitter. It can also accommodate a feet-forward posture, but its shape beckons visitors to curl up.

When she was a child, the British designer Freyja Sewell loved hiding in cupboards and other small, private places. Later, as a student at the University of Brighton, Sewell imagined constructing a womb-like envelope that would meet her need for some occasional quiet time. It took three years of development, but Sewell's Hush was finally displayed at Clerkenwell Design Week last month. The felt pod served both as a part of the event's action and a break from it.

When Margot and Ritchie Tenenbaum constructed a tent hideout inside their childhood home, they were definitely on to something. As a part of the recent Off the Grid exhibit at New York's Gallery R'Pure, the designers François Chambard and Frederick McSwain displayed many intriguing objects, including Chambard's 6BCA tent, made of aluminum, maple hardwood, parachute fabric, and custom-made moving blankets. The tent's structure doubles as a light source, thanks to a concealed LED strip. In other words, it would make for a pretty fancy indoor fort.