Color Farm Studio & Artist Residence

Color Farm Studio and Artist Residence

This studio and residence were conceived as twin structures set in harmony with their natural environment. The architecture and landscape work together to define areas for gathering while also blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor spaces. The landscape provides shade during the summer, privacy from neighboring properties, and a reprieve from the concrete jungle of the city beyond.

For the artist studio, the original footprint of the garage was expanded to meet the edge of an existing persimmon tree. Centered in the courtyard, the tree corners the building, as if embracing it with its branches. Opposite the studio is a large area of banana tree plantings that provide shade as well as significant privacy for the residence. A twisting lemon tree springs out of the deck in front of the residence to form a focal point, while a loquat tree hovers over the entrance and provides additional privacy and shade.

Outside, the dialog between architecture and nature becomes apparent in their materiality. The cypress wood boards of the buildings’ rainscreens were intentionally left unfinished to allow for the natural aging of the material to occur. The vertical scale and orientation of the boards evoke images of a forest within the city and provide a natural backdrop to the seasonal colors of the fruit-bearing trees.

Inside, the residence incorporates a cozy bedroom, a reading nook with built-in shelves, a kitchenette, and a full indoor bathroom in addition to an outdoor shower. The bedroom is concealed by three sliding shoji doors that open to a common area. When all the doors are open, the exterior yard comes into view and suddenly, a seemingly small room is expanded by the full depth of nature beyond.