Project Details
- Project Name
- Writer's Studio
- Location
- VA
- Architect
- Harrison Design
- Project Types
- Outbuilding
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 400 sq. feet
- Shared by
- Harrison Design
- Team
-
Gregory L. Palmer, AIA,
Bulent Baydar, AIA,
- Consultants
- General Contractor: Harris Custom Homes
- Project Status
- Built
- Style
- Modern
Nestled into a tree-lined expanse behind an Arlington, Va., home, local architecture firm Harrison Design worked with partner building company Harris Custom Homes to create a contemporary wood-and-glass-clad studio for a writer who sought a quiet refuge.
Along its focal back wall, two columns of book-filled shelving push open to reveal more than meets the eye: Inside, a small bathroom and storage space add to the studio’s functionality without any visual distraction. An angled roof fills the 400-square-foot space with an airy sense of verticality and accommodates a terrace before meeting the studio’s windows and wraparound NanaWall folding doors, which open to create an indoor–outdoor haven.
Raw materials throughout—including the cedar ceiling and floor composed of reclaimed oak barrels and weathered planks—complement the glass, steel, and dark charcoal-colored trim, and bring warmth to the otherwise modern space.—L.D.
Project Description
This detached studio was designed as a quiet retreat for the owner, who is a writer. In a wooded area on the property, the angled roofline heightens the verticality of the 400-sq. ft. space. On the back, a terrace is cut out of the roofline. Cornered Nanawall folding doors open to create an indoor-outdoor environment, with upper windows enhancing the sense of expansiveness. Organic materials, such as the cedar ceiling and floor made of weathered planks from reclaimed oak whiskey barrels, bring warmth to the contemporary space and are contrasted by the glass, steel and dark charcoal-colored trim. Two columns of bookcases roll open to reveal a half bathroom and storage area.