Artist Studio
Located at the edge of a forested hill and flat farmland, this artist’s studio plays on the familiar form of a conventional barn, the region’s most prevalent agricultural typology. Envisioned as a space that connects creative work, family life, and the landscape that lies at the threshold between wooded hillside and open field, the design uses subtle formal operations of bending, carving, and tilting to shape its relationship to site. The entrance and ceramic studio are oriented to the north, while a mezzanine bedroom looks westward toward the forested hill.
The exterior walls facing east and west are clad in black-stained cedar shingles, wrapping onto the roof in a continuous envelope. At the northern and southern ends, poured-in-place concrete walls are stepped back to amplify the profile of the barn structure and anchor it to the landscape.
The placement of spaces responds intuitively to the surrounding environment. The garage and storage areas are set to benefit from the earth’s natural insulation, while the ceramic and weaving studios open onto a shared deck facing the fields. North-facing clerestory windows bring in soft, even daylight ideal for studio work, and openings are positioned to capture prevailing winds for natural ventilation. The house’s orientation, spatial layout, and material choices all work together to support a passive, energy-efficient design approach.
Photos by Chris Motallini, Maksim Akelin and Alon Koppel.
Status
Completed in 2024
Program
Artist Studio and Home
Area
2,500 sf
Location
Germantown, NY
Awards and Publications
Architectural Digest, Tour an Artist’s Hudson Valley Homestead Brimming With Good Feng Shui
PLAIN Magazine, This Modern Barn Studio Blends Art and Agriculture in New York’s Hudson Valley
The Plan, Artist Miranda Fengyuan Zhang’s Home: Poised Between Nature and Creativity
Rural Intelligence, Bauhaus Farmland: Gentle Curves in Germantown
The placement of spaces responds intuitively to the surrounding environment. The garage and storage areas are set to benefit from the earth’s natural insulation, while the ceramic and weaving studios open onto a shared deck facing the fields. North-facing clerestory windows bring in soft, even daylight ideal for studio work, and openings are positioned to capture prevailing winds for natural ventilation. The house’s orientation, spatial layout, and material choices all work together to support a passive, energy-efficient design approach.
The exterior walls facing east and west are clad in black-stained cedar shingles, wrapping onto the roof in a continuous envelope. At the northern and southern ends, poured-in-place concrete walls are stepped back to amplify the profile of the barn structure and anchor it to the landscape.
Team
Koray Duman, Matei Denes, Angelo Jones, Lauren Uhis