“The room is the place of the mind. In a small room, one does not say what one would in a large room.” Kahn, “The Making of a Room” sketch, 1971
The living room’s brick-paved vestibule leads to a smaller, partly enclosed space with its own fireplace. This room invites solitary work. Its fireplace is lower to the ground and next to a window, perfect for sitting with a book. There is privacy, but also a feeling of openness: the room isn’t closed off from the larger living area or the outdoors.
The way Kahn connects spaces to each other in mysterious and subtle ways is evident in a hidden staircase connecting the master bedroom to the downstairs study and entry hall. The narrow wooden staircase is behind a small ordinary-looking door that could be a closet or built-in cabinet.