Olwen Studio

The house is located in a narrow 2.5-meter alley in a low-rise residential area surrounded by "blockhouses". The owners of this house, a newly-wed young couple, are starting a new chapter of their life. The brief is however not only to construct a nest where they can recuperate after a long working day, but also to pack within a 75-sqm land plot a studio for wedding dress exhibition, makeup area, client consultation area and workspace for the photographer.
D1 proposed a multi-floor structure, space is designed to function for business, while ensuring privacy for the owners. Each floor has its own function: The first and second floor serve as workspace combined with the wedding dress exhibition. The third floor is a gathering space for the whole family.
The highlight of the project is a floating stair that hangs outside of the hallway to create a disruption in flow, separating the studio and showroom with the private space of the family.
In order to separate the working- and exhibition area with the living space for the family, we have moved the staircase, which leads up to the family’s living area, outside on the balcony to break the movement flow into the private area. We consider this staircase area as a buffer zone into the living area. This buffer zone creates an atmosphere on the third floor such as living on the ground floor.