Architecture
Modern Architecture
Studio Tour: Spaciousness Serves an East Coast Artist
A bold, modern studio addition to a traditional Connecticut home offers a sculptor enough room to let creativity run free
A drastically different design from the existing house, this bold stuccoed addition hosts an expansive artist's studio. Jessica Stockholder and Patrick Chamberlain, both artists, wanted to build a large studio where Stockholder could work. Architect Joseph Bergin worked with the couple to design a thoughtful 1,000-square-foot studio where Stockholder can create her unique sculptures.
While the addition looks quite different from the existing house, Stockholder and Chamberlain knew what they wanted from the get-go. "After maybe two minutes into our first meeting, they said, 'We want stucco cubes,'" says Bergin.
Who creates here: Jessica Stockholder
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Size: 1,600 square feet, including garage
While the addition looks quite different from the existing house, Stockholder and Chamberlain knew what they wanted from the get-go. "After maybe two minutes into our first meeting, they said, 'We want stucco cubes,'" says Bergin.
Who creates here: Jessica Stockholder
Location: New Haven, Connecticut
Size: 1,600 square feet, including garage
Bergin and his team demolished an existing garage attached to the house to make space for the studio. The new studio has an additional 600-square-foot section for cars.
This connecting space between the studio and the house was a key part of the addition's design and acts as a mudroom. It blends the two buildings' styles, combining traditional architecture with the studio's stucco exterior.
Stockholder often creates her work in relation to wall surface and space, so she needs a lot of blank wall space. The walls in her studio range from 12 to 16 feet high.
Bergin installed clerestory windows above several walls to let in light without taking up valuable wall space.
"I love to sit in the center of the studio, under the tallest ceiling and with sight lines to all of the artwork," says Bergin. "There is both a brightness and a solemnness in that space that resonates with me after I've left, almost like a religious space."
An additional window on the back of the studio overlooks the garden.
The interior area between the home and the studio takes up 250 square feet and includes desk space.
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