This residential remodeling and addition on a secluded wooded lot in Ann Arbor was intended to provide space for entertaining friends and family as well as more intimate areas for everyday living in which the orchid room would serve as the primary setting.

A circulation spine runs the length of the house from the new entrance to an extension of the gathering room at the opposite end.

A cantilevered shelf above the foyer creates a threshold at the transition to the vaulted ceiling of the hallway beyond.

The shelf continues as a datum that weaves the existing and new spaces together.

After passing by the kitchen the lowered ceiling of the formal dining room creates a sense of compression prior to the gathering room in which the ceiling vaults again to a sky lit ridge.

Large windows at the opposite end open the view to the woods beyond.

Simple details and airy spaces combine to create a welcoming, light-filled residence in the woods.