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Three Domestic Suggestions
Assemblage, an Ancient Greek word meaning ‘to scatter’; to scatter is to then again, assemble. When you enter the home, we scatter our things, let go of the objects we have been carrying around. There is an opportunity here not to scatter, but to gently assemble. A shelf by the door could have 4 metal hooks, for keys to be hung upon. The shelf may be for burning incense or placing flowers. A spot to pause and off- load before entering your home.
2. A Bench under a Light
A metal bench under a light in the backyard or out-door space. Like a park bench or a bus stop. To imagine a place that is designed for the public realm, in a private space. This can feel like a moment to pause, that is neither public or private; that is somewhere in the middle. Like Alexander Brodksy conceives of a living space by examining public infrastructure; in ones own domestic setting, there are opportunities to bring the outside in.
3. A Place to Iron
One of my first year studio tutors told me that in every house she has ever designed, she incorporated a small rail / bar in the laundry where one might iron their clothes. Noticing how a piece of fabric can fall softly in the home can extend to larger spaces outside of the domestic. Like Mies Van der Rohe and Lilly Reich’s ‘Cafe Saint + Seide,’ (Velvet and Silk Cafe). As stated by Jeff Kaplon, editor of Subtilitas: “the complexities of structural forces and creation of spatial relationships is achieved first at the scale of household objects“.