Green s Steam Furniture Works Units 9 & 10. A residence & studio in Alexandria, VA Design development Charlotte R Bell Interior Design 487 Residential Design & Planning Marymount University Summer 2004
Contents The Project Building Plan Concept Developing the Design Entry Hall Dining Room Living Room Kitchen Master Bedroom Master Bath Powder Room Studio Final Plans & Elevations Presentation Boards 2
The Project TThis class project was to design a live/work space in a 19 th century brick warehouse that had been converted to condominiums. The hypothetical clients were a professional couple in their late 30 s who had purchased two units Numbers 9 & 10 on the third floor of the building which they planned to combine. They wished to highlight the character of the formerly industrial building by retaining the brick walls, large windows, high ceilings, and river views. They wanted an open, flexible, and efficient environment showing attention to detail. The couple enjoyed cooking together and desired a space that would accommodate varying-sized groups for entertaining. They had large art and book collections which they wished to display. In addition, the wife planned to run her graphic design business from a workspace within the unit. Among the program requirements were: A coat closet and a powder room near the entry. A commercial-style kitchen featuring top-quality appliances and space for two cooks, open and integrated into the living area. A living area taking advantage of the east-facing views and accommodating more than one seating grouping. An intimate dining area with seating for six to eight. A studio/workshop, located adjacent to the entry and private from the rest of the house, with a standing work surface with flat files below, a long counter with two computer workstations and file storage below, shelves for binders, and tack board for material pin-up. A master bedroom, private to the rest of the house, with a queen size bed, two closets, and a small seating area,. A master bathroom with a walk in shower, two lavatories, and a creatively-designed medicine cabinet at each lavatory. A laundry/utility closet and maximum storage throughout the apartment. The total square footage of this program was 1365 SF. Our challenge was to fit this program into this too-small space. 3
Building Plan The combined and gutted units featured 9½ ceilings, floor-to-ceiling metal-frame warehouse windows on the east face overlooking the Potomac River, floorto-ceiling windows bordering a terrace in the northeast corner, concrete floors, brick walls on the east and south sides, two pre-fab fireplaces, two entry doors on the west face, and a non-movable column in the upper center of the floor space. 4
Concept I wanted to create a space for this young urban couple that would revitalize them after a busy work day and provide a stimulating backdrop for their social gatherings. Because of their varied interests and their pleasure in entertaining, I wanted my design to evoke the curiosity and excitement of exploring a traditional bazaar in an old foreign city, perhaps in North Africa or Central America. I imagined being in such a market, exploring dusty nooks, touching soft and silky fabrics, delighted by light, shadow, texture, exotic smells and vibrant yet earthy colors. I envisioned this space containing hidden surprises of place, form, and feeling which would both provide a quiet space to curl up with a book and support the conviviality of a gathering of friends. 5
Developing the Design Public Because of the dramatic river views through the large windows on the east wall, I sought to retain the entire east face for public functions. I therefore divided the unit into thirds horizontally the top third for the open or public zone, the bottom third farthest from the windows for the private or built zone, and the middle third for semi-private or a mixture of private and public. Semi-Private Private 6
Developing the Design ased on this diagram, I located the living room on the southeast corner, incorporating the existing fireplace and maximizing views, and the dining room on the northeast corner adjacent to the terrace. The kitchen, placed between and open to the living and dining rooms, nestled back into the center of the space. Although the studio initially seemed a natural for the southwest corner, the master bedroom and bathroom did not fit into the remaining space, so after some experimentation, I switched these areas. For finish materials, I decided to retain and polish the concrete floors, acid-staining them a warm brown. In keeping with my concept, I chose a pallet of warm, dusty reds, oranges, and pinks, with pale greenish yellows for the non-brick walls. For millwork, I decided on bamboo, a sustainable resource, stained in a warm honey brown. The following pages show the development of the various spaces in this unit, from initial sketches to final design development drawings, which were presented to the class on boards at the end of the term. 7
Entry Hall My concept demanded an entry that would draw visitors into the open living & dining areas and surprise them with interesting and perhaps unexpected details. To achieve this, I designed a curved and canted wall highlighted by ceilingmounted flexible-track spot lights to create a path from the front door into the space. Doors to the powder room, coat closet, and pantry punctuate this wall. For the wall itself, I chose a terra-cotta sandtextured paint and for the three doors, a palette of bright but dusty reds and pinks. 8
Entry Hall 9
Entry Hall On the opposite side of the entry hall lies the studio. I had difficulty resolving how to handle the design of this wall. I initially conceived the studio wall as a 6 high free-standing wall, but after trying several ideas, including glass panel doors and curtain walls. I decided to make the wall movable to allow maximum flexibility in opening or closing this space to the rest of the house. 10
Entry Hall The final design of the movable walls is not entirely satisfactory. Its square proportions do not fit the proportions of the rest of the space, which contains more vertical lines and shapes. In retrospect, these panels should have been taller and narrower, perhaps echoing the doors in the curved, canted walls. 11
Dining Room The dining room at the end of the entry hall had floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides. Because of the 9½ foot ceilings, the long narrow dining/living space, and the non-movable column, I added a built-in buffet with storage below, accessible from two sides, to visually separate the dining room from the living room and create a sense of intimacy in the dining room. I incorporated the column into a floor-toceiling bookcase anchoring the buffet. 12
Kitchen Studies I knew this couple would spend considerable time in the kitchen, so I wanted to make it both efficient and stylish. I began with a fairly traditional arrangement, experimenting with both L-shape and gallery layouts with an island. These early sketches didn t particularly support the concept. 13
Kitchen Studies Next, I tried curving the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom, using glass between the two rooms to bring light into the bathroom, and breaking up the symmetry of the cabinets. However, once I established the curved, canted wall of the entry hall and carried this shape around the kitchen, it became obvious that the kitchen island needed to echo the ceiling curve. 14
Kitchen The final kitchen design accommodates two cooks easily. It has a dropped ceiling with recessed task lights, open glass shelving above the sink, and professional-style appliances. The millwork is bamboo. The freezer and refrigerator are separate units, allowing both doors to open the same direction. 15
Kitchen 16
Living Room Studies The living room was a key element in setting the tone for my design. This room needed to serve as a quiet place for the couple, the primary entertainment spot, and a showcase for the couple s art and book collections. I added adjustable shelving to either side of the limestone-surrounded fireplace and specified bamboo for the millwork. The metal window frames are painted a dark brick color and the non-brick walls (above the fireplace and opposite the windows) pale greenish-yellows with a sand texture. The kitchen s dropped ceiling created an 8 datum line which I carried around the space in the curtain rods across the windows, in a ladder rail at the top of the bookshelves, above the movable wall, and in the bedroom and master bath. 17
Living Room For the living room fabrics, I chose an eclectic mixture of warm colors and soft and silky textures. The sofa and each comfortable chair are upholstered in rich red and orange natural fabrics, with scattered pillows of various sizes and material. The ottoman, which could serve as additional seating when needed, is a very dark brown leather, the rug an antique oriental, and the curtains sheer off-white with a embroidered pattern of maize-colored leaves. 18
Master Bed Room Once the public spaces were designed, the rest of the space fell into place easily. For the master bedroom, I incorporated built-in drawers and shelving made from the same bamboo used in the living room. The diffused-glass sliding closet doors are trimmed in the same material. To maximize storage, I designed a platform bed with drawers beneath. In the south-west corner is a cozy reading nook with storage under the lift-up seat. The walls between the bedroom and both the living room and the master bath are at 8, with up-lighting above. 19
Master Bath Room The master bathroom is separated from the bedroom by a mirrored pocket door. A stacked washer/dryer is just inside. The bathroom itself has two lavatories, an open shower separated from the sinks by a diffusedglass panel, and a water closet enclosed by the same glass. The medicine cabinet consists of glass shelving behind sliding barn-door style mirrors. 20
Powder Room The clients requested a powder room accessible to both the studio and the public areas. I placed this room off the entry hall just behind the front door. The powder room has a tiny sink with storage below and mirrors on two walls. The ceiling above the powder room and the adjacent coat closet is dropped to 7 ½, leaving a storage attic above, accessible from the master bathroom. 21
Studio The studio is to the left of the entry hall. It features a long two-station computer desk with a full wall of shelves for binders above. Between the hall and the studio are movable panels which allow the space to be enclosed or opened to the rest of the house for entertaining or access to the terrace. The panels are faced with cork on the studio side. Cork is also used above the fireplace, behind the computer desk, and on the edges of the shelves for maximum pin-up. 22
Studio The movable panels, as designed, can be configured in several different ways, allowing the studio to be expanded for business gatherings or opened up to the dining/living area for entertaining. 23
Final Plans & Elevations 24
Final Plans & Elevations 25
Final Plans & Elevations 26
Final Plans & Elevations 27
Final Plans & Elevations 28
Final Plans & Elevations 29
Final Plans & Elevations 30
Presentation Boards 31
Presentation Boards 32
Presentation Boards 33