Meyer Designing Form Following Humanism

A Moment of Illusion and Reflectivity

Providing the core and centering element to the home the visually stunning cantilever wooden staircase with the attenuated brick wall entry piece provides the moment of verticality in the home. Juxtaposing the “floating” yet tangible triangular-prism wood stair treads with slender steel rods against the irregular geometric pool, Meyer designed a breathtaking moment of illusion and drama. As the staircase suggests verticality, the reflection of this architectonic element heightens the attenuating feature into the realm of the surreal.

Due to the placement of the brick-lined pool within the entrance of the Nakoma Residence, Meyer created not only an area of theatricality and wonderment, but also reflectivity and an area for pause. Residential entrances are often overlooked and seen as mere passageways to other more captivating environments; however, Meyer’s manipulation of a free-flowing entry with small water feature provides an area of focus and calm. The eye-catching bend within the form of the pool gives evidence to Meyer’s acute sensitivity in handlings of detail as he created a truly captivating sculptural piece.

Capturing Design Aesthetic Through Lighting

The expansive windowed-wall provides not only spatial connectivity to the outdoors, but also organic illumination. While the windows allow for variability for lighting quality responsive to the climate and time of day, Meyer supplements the daylighting with concealed cove lighting. With indirect lighting built into horizontally floating ledges, Meyer creates a space that reiterates the motif of horizontality while maintaining the warmth and ambience that seems innately natural.

While the ribboned, expansive glass partitions express illumination in the sense of verticality, the cove lighting provides a diffused glow through the placement on the horizontal landing. Contrasting the attenuations of the lighting lends to the continuing theme of counterpoint in Meyer’s work.

The Pleasure of Craftsmanship and Detail

Meyer spoke in response to his architectural process saying, “you let yourself go, then you refine as you design.” The fineness of detail that is a signature of Meyer’s work can be seen within the purity of the staircase construction. The oblong triangular prism form of the treads is an intriguing detail of Meyer’s design as it gives the stairs depth and rhythm.

The black steel supports and connectors between the stairs provide a vertical element that contrasts the horizontality of the stairs. While juxtaposing horizontality with verticality, Meyer additionally manages to reveal his signature dedication to craftsmanship in the construction of the staircase that is reminiscent of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.