Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

An Artfully Crafted Boulder Home Glows From Within a Charcoal Exterior

An Artfully Crafted Boulder Home Glows From Within a Charcoal Exterior

Drawing inspiration from artist Robert Kelly, Studio B creates a simple yet bold home that explores ideas of layering and translucency.

The paintings of Robert Kelly appear as strict depictions of dark, geometric shapes on pale backgrounds. Close up, they reveal a subtle layering: Kelly paints his opaque circles and squares over indistinct collages of found material, including vintage film posters, printed antique paper, and weather charts.

Studio B sought to establish a similar dynamic with Vista Drive Pavilion, an elegant black box that houses a complex of brightly lit, semitranslucent spaces.

            

Even the exterior-a wire-brushed, black-stained STK Cedar-has layers, with a cloak of solar paneling on the south-facing roof, and a sheath of weatherproofing on all sides. The 14-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the roof is cleverly integrated into the architectural form, while the angle and orientation maximize the efficiency of the panels throughout the day.



Just as the geometric shapes in Kelly’s paintings appear to hover in space, the Vista Drive Pavilion seems to float lightly in its simple landscape.

"In the evening," says Mike Piché, principal at Studio B, "the blackened exterior fades into the darkness, leaving a uniform glow where the portals occur. What remains is a black, floating silhouette containing a collage of form and light."



Piché attributes this quality to the added thickness of the insulation, which ends just above ground level. The thick outer layer also allowed Studio B to build the downspouts directly into the siding for a smooth exterior.

Like Kelly's paintings, the home borrows from a variety of sources. The immediate neighborhood has a "park-like" vibe, few sidewalks, yards that flow into one another, and midcentury single-story homes. Within this setting, the team conceived of a concrete-and-glass pavilion that sits comfortably in its landscape and is accessible from all sides.



"We talked a lot about Eero Saarinen’s Miller House in Columbus, Indiana," says Piché. The Miller House, a midcentury architectural icon, inspired "the posture" of the Vista Drive Pavilion, as well as its surrounding garden.

"The exterior floating stairs are also uniquely midcentury," explains Piché, adding that they’re reminiscent of the Farnsworth House and Crown Hall, both by Mies van der Rohe. Thus, the team imagined Vista Drive Pavilion as a modern house that "responds to the neighborhood without replicating the past."



Just as Kelly explores simple shapes in his paintings, Studio B played with the exterior simplicity and interior complexity of a trapezoid. From the front entrance, the home appears to be a flat-roofed box. But inside, Studio B allowed the ceiling to follow the surprisingly varied roofline. "The subtle angles created some interesting geometries and spatial richness," says Piché.

The ceilings rise to peak height over the home’s common spaces, while the bedrooms and office spaces are more intimate with slightly lower ceilings. In keeping with the variegated ceiling height, Studio B varied the flow and shape of the living spaces. Thus, the common spaces wind throughout the home, each with a window or steps to the exterior.



In his artworks, Kelly makes a sharp contrast between his dark geometric shapes and the ivory or white background. Here too, Studio B contrasts the solidly black exterior with a bright interior. The design team painted the walls and ceilings a pure white and matched pale wood furniture with white oak floors.

Located at the very core of the home, the kitchen is a large, dark block that both draws focus and separates the front of the house from the living room and backyard. The dining room on the other side of the kitchen is more connected to the front yard, front porch, and street with large glass walls and decorative lighting.

The house is open enough that the kitchen has views out to the exterior windows on all sides. In turn, light from four sides penetrates the space throughout the day and reflects up the sloped ceilings.



To mimic the levels of layering and transparency in Robert Kelly’s paintings, the team installed slatted, semitransparent walls that layer light throughout the day. "We wanted the space and light to flow freely from one room to the next," Piché explains. "The slats helped us do that, while at the same time keeping certain areas intimate and defined."

Even the below-grade ground floor-which includes a media room, a gym, two bedrooms, and a storage space-is flush with light. Studio B accomplished this with a large skylight just above the staircase, vertical metal slats to keep the stairwell open, and, in the lower rooms, deep window wells.



Studio B did not let stylistic choices detract from their fundamental commitment to sustainability. From the native grasses and low-maintenance shrubs to the original, mature trees, they embraced the local landscape. They also selected locally available building materials, including recyclable and biodegradable wood. Finally, the solar panels and sheath of insulation make the home energy efficient all year round.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×