An “Art Barn” wrapped in a green screen that creates a living skin over the majority of the concrete-block structure, comprised of of metal mesh planted with white wisteria vines.

Originally the “concrete box in the middle of the woods,” as architect Robert Young describes it, was designed as a studio for [two artists]. Chief among their requirements were that the space be as large as possible—both in terms of square and cubic footage—and flexible enough to accommodate their ever-shifting interests. “We designed it to have good proportions and a good quality of light, and to be a little bit like a stage, to be able to have different sets,” Young says. “One year they might want to use it as a studio to make art, the next they might want to use it as a dance place.” At one point, the program included a basement bowling alley, although that never happened. “It was all thought about as being an accessory structure, literally, a folly,” says Young.

Connecticut Cottages & Gardens