East Village Studio
This 400-square-foot studio and gallery is an exercise in versatility and efficiency. Primarily a place for architects to work and meet with clients, contractors, and consultants, it doubles as a gallery space for contemporary art installations, switching with ease between two seemingly incompatible functions.
A black steel window-and-door unit nearly fills studio’s street façade, its gridwork frame glazed with panes of etched and clear glass in a pattern that balances sun-shading and privacy with an open, spacious feeling. Immediately inside is a communal space with custom workstations lining its two exposed-brick side walls. Painted a deep cobalt blue that contrasts with the mahogany floor below, the millwork was designed to quickly and safely conceal computers and work materials in preparation for gallery exhibitions. The centerpiece of this communal space is NMA’s Multi Storage Unit, a multifunction custom teak millwork piece—with wide drawers for drawings, planters for seasonal plants, and cushions for seating—that elegantly complements the room in both work and gallery modes. NMA holds a patent for the Multi Storage Unit.
Flamed granite tile flooring helps delineate the studio’s private zone, which holds a conference room, galley kitchen, and bathroom. The centerpiece of the conference room is a custom table topped with cobalt blue glass. A faux-skylight above provides the pleasant illusion of daylight and expands the perceived volume of the compact space. The bathroom, whose floor, walls, and ceiling are lined in blue-and-white ceramic tile, includes a handheld showerhead that transforms the room into a full shower.
Combining a dynamic, multidisciplinary design environment with a social venue and gallery, NMA’s office vividly demonstrates the firm’s core values of virtuosity, agility, and collaboration.
Photographer: John Morgan
