2008
Charlottesville, Virginia
Interiors
Lighting Design
Custom Furniture
Private / Residential
Fred Hean
Charlottesville Woodworks
Albemarle Countertops
Simin's Custom Sewing
Scott Smith
Formerly the working quarters of a stately farm house, the lower level remains connected to stables but now serves as a private apartment for guests. We were tasked with developing a design that was casual, but that could comfortably stays of up to several months. The owner asked for a sense of luxury, without alienating the agricultural roots of the property.
Design work started by assessing the quality of existing materials. Wood panels where tools once hung were considered an asset, while cracking vinyl tiles covering portions of the floor were not. Working from these assets we augmented existing conditions, rehabilitating the apartment with minimal architectural elements. Existing plaster, originally applied with a utilitarian finish, was restored. The "cool" sense of the concrete floor and plaster walls was offset by cork flooring and the heavy use of bold textiles on vertical surfaces.
Wool fabric panels of bright colors and novel patterns stand out against the neutral conditions that make up the floor, walls and ceiling of the apartment. Seeking to avoid proportional references to conventional dwelling design, sliding "barn" door panels were used throughout.
A high-quality cache of walnut, felled on the site, was made into a stool and bench, designed by formwork and crafted by Fred Hean.
