Solitude

Jun 11

Written By Annette Prapasiri

A room of my own

Studio5R

LIVE/WORK
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, USA

ARCHITECT: AYUMI DATE

NYC DEPT. OF BLDGS EXPEDITOR: AYUMI DATE

PROJECT DESIGNER: AYUMI DATE

MODEL MAKER: AYUMI DATE

COLORS AND MATERIALS: AYUMI DATE

FURNISHINGS: AYUMI DATE

独居

Dokkyo

The goal for this plain and outdated 400 sq ft, one bedroom apartment was to transform it into a studio loft space through efficient and functional use of space. Creativity and the high ceilings of this prewar building allowed for the creation of multiple levels, generating a sleeping loft, sleek kitchen and ample built-in storage throughout. By benefit, the space underneath the kitchen housed a full size washer and dryer - unheard of in most New York City apartments, especially fourth floor walk-ups. Interlocking forms appeared within a single room. I carved out spaces for sleep, work, live, eat, clean and yoga.

“Within a building, I carve out space, awaken contents and fill its cavities. I restore life…recalling what was, recycling the discarded, realizing dreams and creating new energy. I believe in the celebration of not only a single lifetime of a building, but its many lives, functions and enduring qualities.”

I wanted to create an openness and to allow the windows to flood the space with natural light. The non-conforming space allowed for flexible configuration of furniture, a concept that has stayed with me since childhood. My fourth grade teacher fostered student interaction by grouping desks in fours, showing me the value in breaking out of our candy box rows into an individually defined space.

I channeled Andrée Putman:

“Why dine in the dining room, cook in the kitchen and sleep in the bedroom when one can overcome obstacles and change one’s ways?…It is not about bathing in the living room and cooking in the bedroom but rather about opening spaces to various activities. Why should places be reduced to one function instead of favoring the sensations they offer to us?”

The full exposure of light combined with highly reflective surfaces humanized the space, accepting and expressing its intimate size. A natural instinct would have been to paint all the walls light or white to maximize the sense of space. The existing windows are trimmed in dark brown aluminum so I decided to go against convention and painted the window wall in high gloss brown paint. Maintaining high reflective value, I achieved to create a sense of volume. Early evening and night, especially with a fire going, the interior ambient effect was quite special. My place did not seem so small.