7 Incredible Home Offices of Designers and Architects
Design and architecture are creative professions within which work and life are continually interwoven as passion and innovation grow. In this round-up of homes, personal residences mesh with design studios to create thought-provoking spaces.
A Victorian Home in London's Modern Addition
Location: London
Architect: Alison Brooks Architects
The Lens House involves the conversion of a 19th-century residence in north London to a live/work space for a client who works in photography and design publishing. The additions, including the office, were designed as volumetric lenses, framed by large planes that capture light and draw the exterior into the home.
The abstract geometry of the exterior allows for unique openings and this skylight, which provides natural light to the staff throughout the day. "One of my ambitions is to place openings, windows, and roof lights strategically, so you get a sense of the time of day and the weather," says Brooks.
Maximizing a Very Narrow Site in Echo Park
Location: Echo Park, Los Angeles
Architect: Anonymous Architects
A narrow lot resulted in vertical organization and massing, providing open-plan living, sleeping quarters, a roof terrace, and a third-story architecture studio. The architect designed and built most of the furniture in the house himself. With an architecture studio that overlooks the street, and design creations all around, creativity is sure to fly.
The Anonymous office on the third floor holds a display of Storey’s beloved hand-made basswood and foam-core models.
An eccentric, split-level cube wrapped in a painted facade is the primary home and headquarters for Bellemo & Cat, an architect-sculptor pair. Ingenious space planning provides separation between life and work, layering of elements, and unique divisions of functions. As the builder on the project, the owners were able to instill their creativity into creating a an artistic, individualistic home.
A row of windows casts light into the office, where Bellemo keeps a model of the house. The office is separated from the garage by a bright yellow sliding door.
Live/work environments blend organically in this Chelsea district, 5,600-square-foot loft with concrete floors, 18 windows, and 12-foot high ceilings. Two interlocking Ls create an organization of living spaces and work spaces that are connected by a pair of frosted Plexiglass pocket doors. The simple material palette is accented by midcentury modern classic pieces by Knoll, Saarinen, and Risom.
Florence Knoll credenzas, with laminate tops designed by the architects, form a unique work station in the office.
Work and life blend in an efficient 1,200-square-foot home in Houston, Texas. A big life in a small house allows the architect-teacher pair to house their five-person architecture firm, Interloop-Architecture, as well as their growing family, under one roof. The two-story rectangular box, wrapped in corrugated metal, contains the architecture studio on the ground floor, with living quarters above.
A work station in the couple's office.
Suspended atop a brick bakery in London is the live/work space of Michael Trentham Architects, which blends studio space and housing in a 325-square-foot unit. Wrapped in full-height structural glass, the space is light-filled, reflective, and bright with a single window oriented to grab the maximum amount of daylight. Custom storage solutions allow the workstations to fold away when not in use.
The new all-white office space frames the iconic Shard. Flush skirting creates clean lines and allows furniture to butt up against the walls. Wide plank high-density fiberboard in a white wenge finish reflects light and makes the space feel larger. It also resists scratch marks from skidding the Eames side chairs.
A home, a commercial space, and a live/work rental unit cohesively blend in this three-unit project connected by a shared courtyard and modern bridge. Concrete, vast glazing, and birch millwork decorate the interiors while allowing flexibility and functionality in both the home and office.
Positioned on the ground floor, the office enjoys spacial privacy, while still having intimate interaction with the living area above and common courtyard.
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