Located in the woods near the owner’s main house, this one-room personal retreat is sculptural and abstract in its form, but traditional in use of materials. The client, a scientist, wanted open views out to the corners so that from his desk looking south to the fireplace, he could see the full expanse of his property.
Design concept and solution:
From the visual softness of the shadows cast on the matte black cedar siding to the directness of the forms and surfaces, everything was carefully designed to create a place of serenity. As a single coherent building, the 550-square-foot structure, with an 11-foot-high ceiling, features minimalist detailing and large glass panels with open corners that challenge the simple reading of the studio as a mere box-like volume. No steel was used in any of the cantilevered corners making it possible for local carpenters to easily accomplish the job. A lower area, housing a window seat and bookshelf, protrudes from the basic volume on the east. The fenestration pattern is highly nuanced, for viewing from specific vantage points within and outside the structure. The entry window aligns with the upper south window accentuating the reading of the east wall as a separate plane. During harsh upstate New York winters, the fireplace becomes both the heart and the visual focus of the room.
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