This is a private residence located in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. The clients were seeking a quiet retirement home, but also a place to host writer’s retreats.

A single central hallway stitches together several discrete living spaces. Looking across courtyards, outside to inside and then back outside, the relatively small home becomes an expansive viewing machine, gazing out across itself and out to the valley. This unique massing strategy allows for intimate spaces that feel simultaneously serene, while still allowing for a connectivity to the rest of the home and its inhabitants.

(Role: Project Designer, Schaum/Shieh Architects)