Personal Space
A little lair of quiet and calm in the woods for a scientist to withdraw to.
Take the idea of a personal space at home - one that is closed off to the hustle and bustle that is life - and stretch it to a fairly indulgent extreme and you'll get this little studio nestled in the middle of the woods in Ghent, New York, not too far away from one's actual home.
The Writer's Studio, ironically enough, belongs to a scientist who wanted his own little sanctuary in the forest to escape to whenever a time-out from the hustle and bustle of family life is due. A place to contemplate, indulge in music and reading, and when required, work, the retreat by Cooper Joseph Studio is a simple and elegant construct that echoes the sense of quietude the client was looking for.
The studio measures a comfortable 500sqft and is quietly perched in a clearing as a compact minimalist box - a symbolic expression of a life shed of its white noise. Intentional or otherwise, the shield of space between the studio and the surrounding trees seem to portray quite accurately the sense of isolation that the client desired.
This secret lair takes the form of a basic rectangular volume that eschews formal manipulations save for a protrusion on the lower eastern face of the building that accommodates a window seat and bookshelf. And yet, to avoid a rigid outline, large glass panels that wrap around strategic corners of the studio break up the basic box-like form of the construct.
These windows, along with the rest of the fenestrations that punctuate the building are integral to how the studio is seen from the outside and how the client views his surroundings. From an onlooker's point of view, the entry window is aligned with the upper south window to accentuate the reading of the east wall as a separate plane. The windows that wrap around the corners of the building allow the client to have an unobstructed view of the studio's surrounds from spaces like the main room and reading area. Such considerations only serve to magnify the natural beauty of the forest.
A sombre skin of cedar boards wraps the studio, stained black to bring an explicit sense of sophistication and modernity to the composition. A mix of eight-inch boards and articulated two-inch slats was used on the façade, and is yet another method that was used to break up the monolithic feel of the building. But all is not strict architectural calculations with the studio. Borrowing from nature, the construct benefits from a certain visual softness as shadows fall on the matte black siding of the façade.
This attention to details goes a long way in the articulation of the studio. On the roof, custom roof scuppers and edging in copper add an interesting outline and closer to the ground, a narrow moat of local river stones around the building separates the studio from the forest floor.
Inside, the studio's cool black façade gives way to a more comforting mien anchored by walnut timber tones. Countering the many cold, grey days that this part of the country experiences, the walnut floors are polished to a high-sheen to reflect the tree-filtered light into the room.
Left quite open and free-flowing, the interior space with its soaring 11ft ceiling is an impressive, but calming space, with the fireplace appropriately playing the all-important heart of the home, especially during harsh Upstate New York winters. In a stroke of genius, the wood storage beside the fireplace has a hidden exterior door that allows wood to be placed directly inside without the hassle of carrying the logs through the room - it's all about making the act of living simpler, easier.
Both outside and within, the house takes on an almost meditative quality, both as an object of and a vessel for contemplation. Standing aloof in the middle of the forest, the studio is a physical promise of rest and quietude for the client. And for those who chance upon it, it does well to fuel the fantasy of one's own space in the woods to withdraw to.
Text by Rachel Lee-Leong
Photography by Elliot Kaufman