Tapestry House

Brick courtyard and hornbeam garden at Tapestry House in Ridgewood, Queens

Tapestry House is the adaptive reuse of a century-old ductwork shop in Ridgewood, Queens, as an artist’s residence, studio, and gallery, with its living spaces wrapped in a seasonally retractable thermal blanket.

Ridgewood, Queens, New York

2024

  • 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 the 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 its 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

Axonometric drawing showing the freestanding rooms and retractable thermal tapestry
White gallery with a skylight, restored industrial ceiling, and sculptural works at Tapestry House
Kitchen and dining area with dark Reform cabinetry, exposed masonry, and the original industrial roof structure
Living and dining area framed by the retractable thermal tapestry inside the converted ductwork shop
Bedroom inside a freestanding white cube with a view toward the exposed brick stair wall
Plywood-clad freestanding rooms with a sliding bathroom door beneath the original roof structure
Main living space with retractable thermal tapestry, plywood room cubes, and exposed roof structure
Restored brick courtyard facade with black-framed windows, a glass door, and new exterior steps
Brick courtyard and hornbeam garden at Tapestry House in Ridgewood, Queens
Landscaped courtyard with hornbeam trees, gravel paving, outdoor seating, and original brick walls
Green birdhouse above ivy along the original brick exterior of Tapestry House
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