Completed in 2010, the Studio House, located in rural Virginia, is a 2,500 SF, elegantly modern private residence that redefines outdoor living. Designed for a well-regarded mosaic artist to function as both home and creative studio, GRADE reconciled disparate site conditions in selectively framing views of the Chesapeake Bay and the surrounding wooded area to establish a connection with the natural environment without rendering the home as hermetic and separate from its surroundings. GRADE brought elements from nature indoors with a foundation of earthy textures including natural mahogany wood and Italian marble. A curved zinc rooftop creates an airy, heightened sense of scale on the interior within the beachside great room where the thoughtful design of this home is an apparatus for filtering the views of the water and solidifies its intimate relationship with the site.