Lightwell Library: Skylight With a Lofted Circular Bookcase

The perfect space for writing should include a good deal of reading material, but walls of books all around you can be distracting as well as inspiring. Light is essential, but direct daylight can also detract from the process.

Solving two problems at once, this light-well-plus-bookcase by Travis Price Architects lofts a small library in the ceiling of a room, leaving a hand-selected collection of travel artifacts to populate the white walls below. The written works above can be accessed by a ladder that hooks onto subtle rails.

From Bartlett Year 1: “National Geographic Society’s Explorer-in-Residence Wade Davis called on architect and designer Travis Price to construct his very own personal at-home workspace in Washington, DC. Price’s architecture and design firm Travis Price Architects took on the task of creating this unconventionally visionary design for the multifaceted scholar.” The result is a well-lit space that takes maximum advantage of all walls and creates an isolated but visually-rich environment for creative production.