Private artist residence, studio, and gallery

Queens, New York

Tapestry House is an artist’s residence, studio, and gallery in Ridgewood, Queens NY. Originally a ductwork fabrication shop from 1920, this adaptive reuse project celebrates the building’s inherent industrial character while updating for the new use. The goal of the project is to respect the historic shell of the building in its entirety, and interior interventions to be distinctly separated from the shell; as modern free-standing objects inside an old vessel. These distinct components are the shell, cubes, and the tapestry.

The “tapestry” is a seasonally retractable thermal blanket that wraps that entire living space. This centuries old technique is taken from medieval castles in France and Germany, where heavy tapestries were hung on exterior walls to reduce drafts and retain heat. The mission of the project is to prove that sustainability can be tangible and achievable with low-tech ideas, affordable materials, and simple & efficient details.

The rooms are freestanding cubes, distinguished from the shell building, and maintain their own formal expression. These cubes are wrapped in C-Grade plywood, for it’s affordability and recyclability. Conceptually, the project strives to be a light touch on the existing building and environment. Understanding that buildings sometimes take on new lives, the interior was meant to be easily disassembled and recyclable, and for the existing structure and site to be left in better shape than it was originally found.

Connecting the historic building with the landscape, for the first time ever, was a key goal. A century of debris was removed from the backyard, and a grid of hornbeam trees installed- influenced by artist Robert Irwin’s landscape installation at Dia Beacon. All of the neighboring masonry buildings are built to the lot lines- which although limits daylight, it offers a well-protected microclimate for the landscape to thrive amongst a backdrop of beautiful old brick buildings.

In collaboration with Ridge House

Photography by Charlie Schuck

Built by Pro NY Solutions

2024