My design incorporates a live-work studio for my client and his collection which involves growing native plants and studying them, specifically from Surrey where he grew up. He transforms them into green walls and other green installations all to promote nature into interiors and the built environment. He does this outside his space, so my client focuses on growing and cultivating the plants himself.
My space is divided into two, the left as his living and right as his work space with 2 access doors on either side. This separation allows my client to freely come into his work space from the outside without spoiling his living space with dirt and other contaminants from the plants and outdoors. I have provided a space for my client to grow his plants with shelving racks with artificial lights along the right side of the room since there are three large south facing bay windows. I have created a plant unit in the centre which incorporates a built-in sofa, sink and desk study which acts as a tunnel between the two spaces. This allows my client to have a direct connection with his work but also live within it. Since he has a passion with plants and with regards to nature having a positive impact on our well-being, it only seemed fit to have the collection worked within the space and not have it segregated.
The plant unit also utilises layering with hollow cubes inspired by the artist Rashid Johnson. This ties in with the tiered system in my previous study of the Glossier seating area. I have included a bedroom and W/C mezzanine unit for space-saving, inspired by the use of levels in the Yurikugo House. The raised plants and bedroom allows my client to have an immediate view of his collection and this maintains relevance with the way he peacefully lives with his plants and his practice of promoting awareness of nature around us.
I found drawing my space by hand and to scale of 1:20 really helped me set out my initial layout and how I wanted to divide up the space. This tool really aided me in finding the correct proportions of my live-work ratio in relation to the room and it is something I will be taking on forward in future projects and my career.