Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

An Architect Designs a Tiny Painter’s Studio in Upstate New York for His Artist Mother

An Architect Designs a Tiny Painter’s Studio in Upstate New York for His Artist Mother

This 440-square-foot studio by Tal Schori proves that wondrous things really do come in small packages.

In Dutchess County, New York, Tal Schori of GRT Architects designed a 440-square foot painter’s studio for his mother, the artist Yael Meridan Schori. The site offers panoramic views of a glittering pond framed by gently rolling hills and clusters of towering trees. "The lake is magical," Yael says. "It’s constantly changing colors and reflecting light in different ways, depending on the hour, the day, and the seasons."



The Painter’s Studio is a 440-square-foot workspace designed by architect Tal Schori of GRT Architects for his mother, artist Yael Meridan Schori.



An 11-foot-wide trifold glass door opens the art studio to rolling hills and a large, glassy pond.

The studio is the second project Tal has imagined for the Dutchess County property, which is owned by his mother and father, Yanki Schori. The couple visit the land to escape Manhattan on weekends-and sometimes, for much longer than that.

"My husband and I looked for a piece of land for the longest time," Yael says. "We aimed for a rural setting within two hours from the city. This place fulfilled all our wishes and then some. Every day, we discover wildlife that’s around us-from bald eagles, ospreys, and swans to foxes, deer, and even bears."



The studio is a black, cedar-clad box set in a bucolic landscape.



The studio’s materiality ties in to the main house on the property, which is clad with black brick.

The first design Tal created for the site is a faceted, 800-square-foot home clad in fired black brick. The architect, who founded GRT Architects with his childhood friend Rustam-Marc Mehta, echoed the home’s design by wrapping the studio in black-stained cedar clapboard.

"The house is composed of three rectangular volumes rotated 120 degrees from one another," Tal explains. "The studio is approximately the size of one of these volumes, and similar in hue. Situated 250 feet away, it’s as though it spun off and settled neatly down the road. The small, black structure punctuates the landscape without detracting from it-or obstructing views."



The horizontal black cedar boards that wrap the art studio also mimic the existing black-painted fence on the property, which was once a horse farm.



An eight-foot-wide deck extends from the live/work area, allowing the artist to paint outdoors.

While the studio doubles as a guesthouse when Yael and Yanki have family and friends stay on the property, it mainly serves as Yael’s work sanctuary. "We spent most of the pandemic here, and I needed a small space for a bit of separation from our living space," the artist says.

Moved by his mother and her artwork, Tal filled the interior of the studio with plenty of sunlight and connected the space to its cinematic scenery. "She does not paint the landscape, but it’s a constant source of inspiration," the architect says. "Framing the view, and flooding the space with natural light makes the small studio feel expansive."



Large, trifold glass doors flood the art studio with sunlight.



A pull-out sofa in the live/work area accommodates friends and family who stay overnight on the property.

The compact studio features a large living/work area, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and an eight-foot outdoor deck that’s accessed by an 11-foot-wide trifold glass door. When the door is open, there’s no boundary between the interior and the landscape. A skylight in the live/work area lets guests, who sleep on a pull-out sofa, view the night stars before drifting off to sleep.

Tal selected Homasote-a sustainable product made from recycled paper-for the interior walls, and outfitted the kitchen with plywood cabinetry and stainless-steel counters. "These are inexpensive, durable materials that are hard-wearing and easy to source, clean, and repair," Tal says.



The architect opted not to wall off the kitchenette and the shower area, in an effort to preserve work space in the studio.



A small garage at the rear of the painter’s studio accommodates a motorcycle.

During Yael’s last year studying painting at New York Studio School, her art studio was Philip Guston’s former kitchen. "It was a very small space with amazing light," she says. "It changed the scale of my paintings and their intensity."

The apple usually doesn’t fall far from the tree, and Tal also finds great beauty and interest in small spaces. "I think this little project is successful because of its nuanced simplicity," the architect says. "The experience of being inside and outside the studio is more complex than its small size suggests."



Floor plan of Dutchess County Painter’s Studio by GRT Architects

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×