Huron Studio reimagines a modest garage as a calm, flexible accessory dwelling unit (ADU) — a space for living and working. Designed for working, hosting, and slowing down, the studio turns a compact footprint into a light-filled home shaped by intention, craft, and a quiet connection to the outdoors. A simple material palette, generous built-ins, and a lofted workspace allow it to serve multiple roles without feeling crowded or overstated.
Stepping inside, the volume opens upward. Large picture windows draw the exterior in, while clerestory openings and a skylights bring soft, shifting daylight through the space. The interior feels bright and balanced, shaped by the way light moves across its surfaces.
Stepping inside, the volume opens upward. Large picture windows draw the exterior in, while clerestory openings and a skylights bring soft, shifting daylight through the space. The interior feels bright and balanced, shaped by the way light moves across its surfaces.
Warm wood cabinetry anchors the kitchen, paired with open shelving and a large counter for cooking, working, or gathering. The palette remains simple, allowing natural light and daily rituals to define the atmosphere.
The kitchen’s pared-back palette is grounded by plant life on both sides of the glass: a pothos plant animates the interior shelf while a Japanese maple becomes a natural focal point in the yard beyond.
The kitchen’s pared-back palette is grounded by plant life on both sides of the glass: a pothos plant animates the interior shelf while a Japanese maple becomes a natural focal point in the yard beyond.
A double-height living space sits at the heart of the studio with a spiral stair drawing the eye upward toward the loft. Soft daylight filters through a sheer curtain lending privacy to the sleeping area where built-in storage and warm wood create a calm, compact retreat.
Above the main living area, the loft offers a quiet place for focused work or unwinding, marked by a built-in collapsible surface along the wall. Beside it, a corner lounge invites a slower pace — a small refuge for reading, pausing, or sitting with the light.
Above the main living area, the loft offers a quiet place for focused work or unwinding, marked by a built-in collapsible surface along the wall. Beside it, a corner lounge invites a slower pace — a small refuge for reading, pausing, or sitting with the light.
“The studio is elegantly composed and artfully detailed with “streamlined simplicity.” The vaulted ceiling with a triangular clerestory window at the entry, and the alignment of a skylight with the sliding door are two particularly artful moments.”
– Jury comment, AIA Columbus
Sliding doors open to a shared courtyard — a quiet outdoor room that extends daily living into the landscape. Morning coffee, afternoon work, evening fires. The relationship between inside and out gives the studio a spaciousness far beyond its compact footprint.
Sliding doors open to a shared courtyard — a quiet outdoor room that extends daily living into the landscape. Morning coffee, afternoon work, evening fires. The relationship between inside and out gives the studio a spaciousness far beyond its compact footprint.
Beyond the studio’s clean lines, the yard moves at its own pace — clover drifting across the soil, a mantis appearing and disappearing among the leaves, strawberries ripening in the sun. These micro-habitats lend the project a sense of belonging, each one a reminder of the life unfolding around it.
Set along the alley, the studio’s entry reinforces its independence from the main house. The banana-pepper green door marks the threshold — a small, bright gesture connecting the home to the garden just beyond.
Set along the alley, the studio’s entry reinforces its independence from the main house. The banana-pepper green door marks the threshold — a small, bright gesture connecting the home to the garden just beyond.
Process & Details
HuronADU-existing1
Existing garage elevation
HuronADU-existing2
Shared side yard
HuronADU-interior-perspective
Early 3d study model
HuronADU-concept-sketches1
Early design iterations
HuronADU-roof-demolition
HuronADU-process
Salvaged roof framing and decking materials repurposed as gable framing and loft flooring.
HuronADU-garden1
Huron Studio
Huron Studio is a 575-square-foot live/work ADU in Columbus, Ohio, transformed from a former two-car garage. Working as owner, architect, and builder, the project became an opportunity to explore an alternative housing model for Columbus, OH—one shaped by design rigor, thoughtful craft, and a modest budget. The intention was to reimagine a small, underused structure as a self-sufficient home that could adapt to future needs.
Within the existing 24’x24′ footprint, the interior now holds a full kitchen, bath, built-in storage, and a living area that transforms with a Murphy bed. A steeper roof lifts the volume, creating a loft for focused work and quiet retreat. The constraints of a square plan and gabled roof offered a unique design challenge. A triangular window subtly shifts the roofline and brings daylight deep into the space. Large windows, a vaulted ceiling, and skylights keep the studio bright through central Ohio’s long gray seasons, while framed views of trees and garden give the home a sense of calm beyond its urban setting.
Inside, a light palette—concrete floors, soft walls, and warm millwork—creates a quiet backdrop. A dark-bronze spiral stair adds a crafted focal point while maintaining openness. Custom and off-the-shelf elements work together to stretch the budget without sacrificing quality: oak fronts elevate IKEA cabinet boxes, high-gloss panels serve as backsplashes, and durable laminate forms the shower walls. In the loft, salvaged sheathing from the original garage was milled and stained to create new flooring, carrying the structure’s history forward.
On the exterior, white lap siding ties the studio to the main house, helping it settle comfortably into a neighborhood new to ADUs. Trimless detailing offers a clean, modern profile while remaining contextual.
As the first garage-conversion ADU in Columbus, Huron Studio has become a reference point for neighbors and community members exploring small, incremental forms of housing.
