Artist's studio: a barn reimagined in the hudson valley
Diana Al-Hadid, known for her gravity-defying sculptures, has a new masterpiece—her workspace. Designed by her architect husband, Jon Lott, the studio in upstate New York isn't just a place to create; it's a testament to collaboration and a striking reimagining of agrarian architecture.
A serendipitous discovery in amenia
The journey to this five-sided sanctuary began with a casual search for a weekend retreat. A first viewing of a property in Amenia, New York, left Al-Hadid and Lott uncertain. But a second look, prompted by Lott, revealed an unexpected spectacle: parhelia, or sun dogs, shimmering alongside a rainbow. “I saw it as a sign,” Al-Hadid recalls, a moment that sealed their decision to purchase the 30-acre parcel in February 2019.
The pandemic accelerated their plans. Decamping to the country with their young son, the need for a dedicated studio became apparent. “If Amenia were to be our family headquarters,” Al-Hadid stated, “she would need a proper workspace.”
From run-in sheds to a five-sided form
Lott, a professor at Harvard and founder of Para Project, drew inspiration from the rural landscape and his fascination with vernacular architecture—barns, salt sheds, and the like. The initial concept, born from sketching in their backyard, involved two run-in sheds colliding, resulting in the unique five-sided structure. What followed was an iterative process, a dialogue between artist and architect, where additions and adjustments were made even after the foundation was poured. “She would say, ‘Hold on, what if we rotated the top so that the loft was the other way?’” Lott explains, highlighting the fluidity of their creative exchange.
The resulting space encompasses roughly 3,500 square feet across three levels. The open main floor is bathed in natural light, while a triangular mezzanine offers a quiet corner for drawing and writing. Above, a diamond-shaped loft serves as both a mountaintop haven and a structural gantry for supporting works in progress. This isn't a sterile environment; it’s a living, breathing studio, a record of its own creation.
Sustainability and a touch of imperfection
The exterior, clad in aluminum-oxidized pine, offers a reflective shimmer that complements the galvanized-steel roof. Inside, locally sourced Douglas fir and pine create a warm, inviting atmosphere. Lott’s commitment to sustainability extends to radiant heat under the concrete-slab floor and the use of a nearby glass fabricator for expansive windows. But it’s the deliberate inclusion of imperfections—an extraneous column left standing, subtle variations in the flooring—that truly distinguish the space. “There’s a lot of idiosyncratic misalignment,” Lott admits, “It has its imperfections.”
The studio’s design cleverly accommodates Al-Hadid’s diverse practice. Unlike her previous Brooklyn studio, the Amenia building features truck entries at ground and loading-dock level, simplifying the movement of large-scale works. It's a space designed not just for creation, but for the practicalities of an artist pushing boundaries.
As Al-Hadid settles into her new studio, she acknowledges the process of integrating this new space into her creative flow. “It’s going to be a while until those mental grooves are really deep set in my mind,” she says. Lott, ever the collaborator, has already claimed a corner for model-making. The studio, it seems, is destined to become a shared creative hub, a testament to the power of partnership in both architecture and art.