psych&arch

This apartment design is for a couple, Alex and Emily. They have been married for 8 years and have a 5 year old son Eli. Alex is a chef in NY and just opened a restaurant in the Berkshires. He has been spending every weekend up north for the past few months and often takes Eli with him so that Emily can focus on writing her novel. On one of these trips, Alex has an affair with a manager from his restaurant. Two months later he has a stroke and Emily calls an ambulance. Alex has become paralyzed in his legs. After the incident, Alex is honest with Emily about the affair. Emily is devastated, but she loves her husband. I am hired. The clients speak with me together. Alex wants to spend time with his family in the kitchen, where he will cook and test recipes. Emily wants quiet to focus on her novel. Eli has been playing alone, alienating himself from his father. Based on these relationships, there are two apartments to design for. One for a family that wants to spend time together and one where everyone wants to be isolated. My design has to be a hybrid of the two, allowing for the possibility of both extremes.

wood   wall   blocks

shop-cut in Finland

wife  &  child

It is uncertain whether Alex and Emily will want to share a room, or if Emily will want her own private space. The master suite consists of the main bedroom with an attached office/dressing area for Emily. The room contains a bed in the event that Emily decides to stay apart from her husband.

husband  &  wife

In the past Alex worked late at the restaurant. It was Emily who fed Alex dinner and bathed him before bed. She often sat next to the bath tub and read him stories. Now that Emily will help care for Alex, a connection between the bath tub and shelving provides an opportunity for the family to still read together. 

child  &  husband

Alex will be spending his time in the kitchen testing recipes. He and Eli always spent time together outdoors, and Eli is devastated that his father will not walk again. The circular island in the kitchen contains a tunnel Eli can climb through to play alone in the center. Shelving around the island allows for Alex to store the rocks he and his dad found while hiking in the Berkshires. Ladders along the walls give Eli the opportunity to climb and play while grabbing a pot for his father.