Page 56 - Architectural Digest - USA (March 2020)
P. 56
STYLE
GYM READY
Goodbye, humdrum
backpack. Hello,
high-fashion sports duffel.
Getting in shape begins
with the right bag . . .
FENDI GREY LARGE CANVAS BAG WITH
POCKETS; $3,890. FENDI.COM
A PRIVATE YOGA STUDIO IN MAINE,
DESIGNED BY AD100
ARCHITECT GIL P. SCHAFER.
GUCCI MEDIUM MULTICOLOR GG
SUPREME BAG; $2,290. GUCCI.COM
GREAT DESIGN
Rising Sun Salutation
“You shouldn’t even be an architect if you haven’t been to Japan.” Thus a client
admonished AD100 honoree Gil P. Schafer, who, indeed, had never been but planned
to attend a conference there. Given the client’s and her husband’s latest request—
to transform an unfinished, barnlike gym at their coastal Maine retreat into a Zen
yoga and meditation studio—Schafer used the journey as a listening tour. “I like being
given a new architectural language to learn to speak with some gracefulness and
BOTTEGA VENETA LARGE DUFFEL; not complete clumsiness,” he says, adding that his excursion and in-depth research
$1,580. BOTTEGAVENETA.COM back home taught him “that you can say a lot with less—and as I get older, I’m trying
to learn that.” The 650-square-foot heart-pine structure that resulted stands amid
a leafy grove, its spare elegance a vest-pocket echo of Katsura Imperial Villa, the ERIC PIASECKI; BAGS: COURTESY OF THE COMPANIES
acclaimed 17th-century country house near Kyoto. Inset linen panels, referencing
temple screens, serve as a background for Akari light sculptures by Isamu Noguchi;
a live-edge pine bench, sparked by George Nakashima furniture, occupies a corner
near the front door. As for the floor, it is paved with custom-made tatami mats,
around whose standard 2:1 ratio Japanese buildings are traditionally constructed.
“It’s a completely different version of classical proportioning,” Schafer explains.
“And, thank God, we had a great builder, because they fit perfectly.” —MITCHELL OWENS
54 ARCHDIGEST.COM
