Writer's Retreat Final Project Spring 2011

This project was to design a home and writing space where a writer could comfortably stay for a semester while writing. My initial idea for this was to create a space within a space to direct flow through the space so that it may be experienced in different ways, but without closing it off and making the space feel like it was chopped up and unconnected with the rest of the house. I created a floor plan that is mostly open. When you first walk in the space, there are no walls closing in the writing and reading area, but the floor of this space which is around the fire place is sunken in to divide the space as separate from the rest of the house. Also, the vertical wall directly at the end of the room goes al the way from floor to ceiling, but does not close off the space completely horizontally. The two sides are left open and you can walk around either side to get to a different area in the house. It makes it feel like one space, but vertical wall is a divider from the rest of the house to create its own space and prevent distractions from other areas. It is constructed of painted glass so that it is a barrier but it is not solid. It is somewhat translucent so the space is not closed off and light still comes through.

 Behind this is the dining area to the right side. The kitchen is placed along the wall that dips in to the outside windows and the dining is more toward the inside of the house but there are not walls directly separating the dining space from the kitchen space. To the left of the dining area is a sitting area that is enclosed on three sides by walls, but part of the side where the walkway is and the dining area is left open so that the space is not closed off and separated so that guests also feel that they can use this space and light will go into it. The only space that is completely closed off is the bedroom and the private bath that is only accessible through a door located in the writing room. In the back of the house is the writing room. It is located directly at a horizontal line going from the front door through the middle open  space in the house to the back. There is another vertical wall of painted glass at the beginning of this space where you enter that matches with the one in the front of the house. To enter the space, you have to walk around either side of the wall and you can see some of the space through the wall but it is translucent to block off distractions. I did this so that the writer would feel the connection that goes through the rest of the house, and also the windows and door in the writing room that lead to the outside so that they were not closed of. The space is open to allow light to come through from three different directions: The north and west wall from windows and doors, and from the south through the translucent wall and the space around it from the front of the house.  The space is set up into different sections so that the writer has different options and does not feel that they are enclosed in a box. One option is to sit on a couch that has a half wall made of the translucent material behind it that is facing a window and bookshelves, another option is at a desk, and there is another couch on the south wall that faces the translucent divider and also has a window to the left of them and light coming from the north shining through the divider. There is another bookshelf located next to couch. The couches are long and have places on the ends where you can lay our legs out and have an armrest go along the side.  There is wall lighting to create a soft lit area in the night and then floor lamps next to seating areas for extra lighting if needed. I think one of the most important part of the writing room is the door to the outside. The writer can go directly outside from the writing room and experience nature if they are looking for inspiration or just need a break from writing. I also like that it is located in the back of the house so nature is seen from all of the windows in the writing area. I did this because it is a Writer's Retreat so the most important part of the house is the writing area.  I took the idea of creating a space within a space to divide spaces but to still keep them open enough for light to flow through the building and create a sense that building is connected through this as one overall space. Then, i gradually towards the back allowed to spaces to become somewhat more private but still open to allow flow of light and a sense of more space in the most important space for this project, the writing area.