VESSEL OF ART

HIVE ARCHITECTS

PLATINUM WINNER : BEST REMODEL | RENOVATION

This remodel aimed to create a warm and comfortable environment reflecting love of family and friends, enhanced by the collected art. With purity of form and materials as a required aesthetic, the conceptual idea for this project evolved in the direction that their art collection needed to be contained in a simple but elegant receptacle. As many ancient cultures have done in the past with their most valuable treasures such as food, perfume or jewelry, the purpose of this container is to display but also protect the art collection, thus creating a Vessel of Art. To achieve the purity of form, the existing volume was simplified with the elimination of the angled walls and the extension of the partial-height walls to the ceilings to create larger wall surfaces for art display. The existing grounded stair was replaced with a light cantilevered steel stair with a glass railing that seems to float in space. In addition, the purity of materials resulted from the use of simple but honest elements. White surfaces create a uniform backdrop for the art, light wood paneling warms the space and separates one surface from another, glass doors and railings allow light to flow from room to room and floating steel treads create the illusion that the stair defies gravity—becoming in and of itself an art piece.

Architect: Hive Architects, Joe Kelly, AIA, and Gwen Leroy-Kelly, AIA Contractor and Builder: Evans Enterprise, Inc. Interior Design: Hive Architects, Joe Kelly, AIA, and Gwen Leroy-Kelly, AIA Kitchen Cabinets: Westwood Manufacturing (Russ Edwards) Photographer: Ryan Gamma Photography Metalwork and Fabrication: Modulo