WABI SABI Residence
Boulder, Colorado, USA
The clients proposal included a detailed desire for Japanese inspiration and a connection to the heritage of Colorado. The Japanese design ideology of Wabi Sabi therefore fit perfectly; since it encompassed finding beauty in simplicity, imperfection, and nature. Wabi Sabi allowed for the mix of cultural elements that the clients desired; including their art and mementos from several countries, to their desire to mix different stylistic elements.
The design merges the honesty of materials, simplicity of design, and exposed wood framework of Japanese design, with the concept of the courtyard house from the Spanish heritage of Colorado, and the material palette of the surrounding natural landscape (with heavy emphasis in the use of local stone and wood).
The home has a harmonized inside/outside connection. Through its anchoring presence, the large courtyard becomes an additional room for the house; Its fire pit recalling the memories of camp-fires in the woods. The design is separates into different volumes, ranging in levels of privacy. These includes two social (yoga room/office, and great room) and two private (bedrooms and master suite) volumes encasing the courtyard, as well as three additional structures (a large green house, a guest house, and a tea house). The outcome is a house that despite its size always feels intimate and connected to its surroundings.