Media designer Joey Williams asked builder Mike Speciale to create a home office in plain sight of his home in Austin, Texas; Williams wanted to be close to his family if his wife needed him while caring for their newborn. Speciale’s alternative: a modular home office that has been customized to the customer’s specifications within six weeks, sent in components and assembled onsite in five times.
Speciale agrees that he is not the first architect or builder to remake the drop. In reality, he admits that they’re not completely remaking it but simply shooting “what [they] do in their larger home builds and scaling it down to a studio that is efficient, made with fair and durable materials, and customizable to the lifestyle demands of the client.”
at a Glance
Who works here: Joey Williams
Location: Austin, Texas
Size: 96 square feet
That is interesting: The studio’s timber siding has been charred in a procedure called yakisugi-ita, making the wood resistant to fire, rot and insects.
Sett Studio
The home office is modern in design but mixes nicely with the customer’s cabin, built in 1920, and his eclectic neighborhood in Austin. Here, the woman of the home relaxes outside of this office studio with a friend while the couple’s Labrador, Dealer, watches. The studio’s wood siding and streamlined volume are perfectly at home in the garden; they honor its surrounding environment and remain unobtrusive.
“Austin doesn’t require permits for garden enhancements that are under 200 square feet, thus a studio such as this is ideal for someone like Joey, that, like many people working from home now, realize the importance of being present in both their family and work lives,” states Speciale.
Sett Studio
Williams and Dealer perch themselves outdoors. The deck was constructed around a young oak tree.
Sett Studio
Notice the exterior wood siding created with the yakisugi-ita (also known as shou-sugi-ban) technique. The treatment weatherizes the timber, prevents rot and bugs, and enriches fire resistance. Big windows and sliding doors blur the lines between the indoors and out, making the space feel larger.
“Folks have been utilizing the shou-sugi-ban remedy in Asia for a long time, but we are just catching on here in the States,” states Speciale. “Typically, the charring is intense and produces a type of alligator look. We desired a milder charring for this particular home office — something sexier.”
Sett Studio
Here’s a closer look at the charred wood before a rosewood oil finish is applied to the surface, bringing out the reddish-brown color. Hand milled the timber in the studio to Williams’ specifications.
Sett Studio
The inside surface is made of Monotread, a durable and sustainable substance used on floors, ceilings and walls. Milled from oriented strand board, Monotread is created from underutilized and affordable timber species. Structural insulated panels (SIPs) compose the walls of this home office. “SIPs have fantastic hurricane evaluations and are easy to build with,” states Speciale, adding that the panels allow the space to stay temperate in extreme weather conditions.
A wall-mounted monitor, a minimal window and the floating plank desk and hard drive provide the space an expansive texture.
More:
Shed-Turned-Office in a London Garden
Watch more garden studios and escapes