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Olson designed the quilted mahogany wainscot and casework with hidden storage solutions. (Photo by Ansel Olson)
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Inspired by the Pacific Northwest modern aesthetic, Olson's studio is sited to take advantage of the natural light. (Photo by Ansel Olson)
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Aaron Olson (Photo by Jay Paul)
It can be difficult to separate your personal and professional lives when you work from home — as many of us are discovering. Aaron Olson was working from a small guest room in his south Richmond home when he decided it was time to create a division between his work and his personal life — so he built the backyard studio he’d been thinking about. The residential designer and principal of Designs by Aaron Olson was a designer and project manager for a local architectural firm before going out on his own in 2015.
His tiny studio, which fits in the footprint of a garden shed, has simple, clean lines, a shed roof and angular clerestory windows sited to take advantage of natural light. Corten steel beams act as sunshades on the south and west exposures. The pine tongue-and-groove boards on the ceiling appear to extend to the soffit outside, dissolving the boundary between exterior and interior.
Here, Olson shares some thoughts about this design and building project with R•Home:
R•Home: What inspired your design for the studio?
Aaron Olson: I wanted to create an environment that would be conducive to my creativity and envisioned a light, airy space, full of soul and inspiration. I’ve always found the tranquil, clean lines and warm, organic tones prevalent in Pacific Northwest modern design inspiring. Over the years, I’ve developed similar designs for my clients that didn’t come to fruition. So when it came time to design my studio, I thought, if my clients wouldn’t build it, I had to.
R•Home: Tell us about your choice of building materials.
Olson: The design incorporates a mix of materials, including concrete, Corten steel, HardiePanel fiber-cement cladding, pine tongue-and-groove boards and salvaged mahogany panels. I like the juxtaposition of the raw industrial Corten steel to the sleek and sophisticated cladding, and that the concrete floor with its epoxy finish makes an artistic statement, imperfect in nature.
R•Home: Did you design and build the furnishings?
Olson: I designed the casework and wainscot — and the generous workstation with a view. I had fun building in innovative storage solutions such as the piano-hinged space within the wainscot on the east wall for storing plans, and a storage cube with a custom jib door and concealed hinges, so as not to interrupt the continuity of the wainscot and the casework pattern that traverses across the space.
R•Home: The mahogany panels have an interesting grain. What is it called, and where did you find them?
Olson: It’s called quilted mahogany; a very rare type of figured mahogany. I actually rescued them from a dumpster, and they found their way to my kitchen for a year. I had the decorative edges removed and used a flush reveal detail to give them a more modern look.
R•Home: You called the project a learning experience. Why?
Olson: I did a lot of the work myself. It was an experiment, a journey and learning experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I did have some help with the construction. My good friend and mentor Clark Robins played an integral role both as a consultant and carpenter. He built the casework and helped me with the interior wainscot panels and hidden jib door. I couldn’t have done it without him.
Find more of Aaron Olson’s work at dbao.design.
