When the new owner of this existing log residence contacted us about designing a detached ceramics and jewelry-making studio, we knew this would be both challenging and exciting. The 155 ft long house spans 45 ft across an intermittent creek on a steeply sloping, heavily wooded site.

Our strategy was to inseparably link the house, studio, and site to one another, minimizing disruption of the woods (only one tree was relocated for construction). Using the radius of the porte cochere drive, the studio breaches the stone wall and perches itself on four columns. The studio roof is then pitched parallel to the house’s roof, matching the slope. A slot, carved from the studio enclosure, allows a steel stair to drop below the drive/terrace entry to connect with the lower level of the house. Deep overhangs protect the terrace, permitting the studio to expand onto the terrace (and into the woods) through the folding window wall.