Actual-Size Architecture | Geoffrey Gainer

		Reston Kitchen
The original 1965 kitchen was small and dark, with a low ceiling and limited counter space. Adding a window on the far wall was prohibited by an adjacent neighbor’s concern for privacy, so an unconventional device was designed to bring in natural light without compromising privacy, and was pushed through the conservative Reston Design Review Board.
An eight-foot square section of the wall appears to be cut out of the façade and tilted skyward, glazed on its top and end. This floods light into the previously dark end of the kitchen, catching shadows of the trees in the afternoon. An exterior light above projects onto the wall raindrops landing on the skylight at night.


All windows were extended to the ceiling to maximize the apparent ceiling height. A lower counter extends out to the canted wall and a pass-through counter was extended toward the dining room.


		Contractor: Nash Construction