Transformer

Project Details

Project Description

Conversion of a single car garage into a playroom. The clients request was simple, open the “new” playroom room up as much as possible, provide a new bath, and incorporate the side yard into usable area that has a direct relationship with the house. The resulting concept allows the room (and side yard) to be used and transformed in many ways depending on occasion, season, or whim. It becomes a plaything itself. For the children and the adults. The architect had fully renovated and added onto the house several years prior for a different client so the project has had the benefit of continuity and time. The new incorporated ideas continue to respect the lines and materials of the existing house, originally designed by a local mid century architect, and the intimate scale that was established in the neighborhood decades before. The new conversion is at times almost invisible. Using minimal hand drawings, mostly sketches done on site, the construction process stayed fluid allowing for things that might not have been previously anticipated during the design process to unfold. For instance the final configuration of the large pivot door, a bench added next to the main entrance replacing a planter that was unused, and a completely new color scheme. And, as important as it is for the room to engage the family and friends that dwell and visit the home it is even more important to incorporate the project within the realm of the community at large. The folding deck becomes the “Front Porch”, providing the possibility for interaction with ones neighbors. The eccentric nature of the projects fenestrations becomes a “conversation opener”. The new color scheme not only inspires the kids but also uplifts the mood of the street.