Back to the path....

The spice drawer concept, while appealing, has ended up seeming fairly one dimensional in  many ways (for creating an architectural idea from). So have gone back to the path to my studio idea.

I can add in the smells experienced along the path, that is:

House = smells from cooking dinner, entranceway has flower smells
Path = damp earth, fresh ozone smells, mint along the path, also the kaffir lime tree
Closer to the studio/shed = oil stains, chopped pine & tea tree (firewood)
Studio = old coffee, slightly musty

Make a model of the pathway with blocks of wood - different types with different smells, some blocks are painted, some oiled, some have stains that smell eg. coffee, oil, food smells

The Studio Path can be distilled into 3 main concepts

1. The feeling of transition allowing a stronger focus on the surroundings.

When walking this route I am in limbo between my family life and my more solitary self-focused student/worker life. With each step closer to the studio, my mind shifts away from the clutter of the dinner dishes and sounds of The Simpsons or Futurama on TV, and I become aware of the velvety night air with it's unique sounds and smells.

2. Sounds and smells.

A reduction in vision means other senses are not distracted, giving way to a stronger awareness of sounds, smells and feel of the path. The subtler night sky and stars start to glow in the absence of the strong outside lights.
Smells enter your body in a way that visual cues do not.

In order to recreate a specific environment, you have to first define the unique characteristics of those specific smells and sounds.
What is it that makes this unique?
What else creates a similar environment?
For me, the most compelling and enduring memory I have of my childhood is the combination of unique smells and sounds of the mangroves lining my grandmothers riverbank. That strong salty mangrove smell and the strange soundscape produced by the soft mud, lapping water, interspersed with the strange popping sounds.

3. Invisible architecture

When walking back to the house. I focus only on the glowing front entrance in stark contrast to the darkness of the rest of the house which is invisible to me. When walking back to the house I can guess at what my family are doing depending on which windows are lit up.