HOME TRUTHS: Modern Translation

When artist Cindy Bainbridge was looking for design inspiration to build a freestanding gallery work space on her 40-acre Pittsboro, North Carolina, farm, she turned to Home—and found an addition that Austin, Texas, architect Michael Antenora designed for himself and his family. Featured in the magazine's January/February 2006 issue, the modern structure had a quirky laundry-room bump-out with an asymmetrical roof and bold exterior colors.

"As soon as I saw the picture, I knew it was exactly what I'd been looking for," says Bainbridge. "It was simple and direct and would evoke the farm buildings in this area." So she created a 1/8-inch scale model out of cardboard, had blueprints drawn by a draftsman, and hired two local craftsmen to build it.

The 535-square-foot outbuilding includes a kitchen, bathroom, and sleeping loft–meditation room and cost approximately $48,000 to construct. All of the windows, doors, and light fixtures came from the Habitat Thrift store and rang up at about $350.

"Since this is a working studio, I left the walls unpainted to encourage the creative process, which, for me, can be messy" says Bainbridge.

—BrickChick