Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National Design Awards Willoughby Design Lookbook, Story 1
Date
Credits
- Willoughby Design 3 Agency
- Ann Willoughby 4 Design Director
- Nicole Satterwhite 3 Art Director
- Olivia Feathers 2 Designer
- Ann Willoughby 4 Copywriter
- Dan Maginn Architect
- el dorado architects Firm
- Miscellaneous Photographer
Format
- Book 1087
Techniques
Dimensions
Locations Made
If one story defines Ann Willoughby's life and career, it is the Willoughby Design Barn. A twenty-four-month labor of love, the barn was an energetic collaboration between Ann Willoughby and el dorado architects, guided by the creative eye of principal Dan Maginn. The vision was simple: to create a sustainably built outpost, a rural retreat that would complement Willoughby Design’s urban studio in Kansas City.
On a deeper level, the barn and its site in the rolling Missouri River bluffs symbolize Ann’s love for placemaking, her respect for the design process, and her belief in the human necessity for belonging and purpose. The barn's structural design is restrained in its simplicity, repurposed materials, and flexible design. From the inside, one feels a sense of timelessness written in the 100-year-old timbers and the abundance of natural light in this extraordinary structure.
In 2002, the American Institute of Architects awarded el dorado architects with its highest honor, the Award for Excellence. As the seasons shift, and the decades pass, the barn endures...a monument to human creativity, nature, and the beautiful, fleeting passage of time.