When the Mother-in-Law Moves in…

The house tells the story of a the domestic tension between a young couple and their live-in, wheelchairbound mother-in-law. As the house itself is designed inside-out, so too does the story and interactions between the occupants. The design of the house was conceived through furniture, decor, built-ins, structure, and finally envelope. At each stage, the residents attempt to restore control from one another, until a harmonious house is achieved.

With the overbearing Mother-In-Law client in mind as the main benefactor, this house is primarily designed to reverse the role of the traditional subservient in-law suite. By placing her at the focus of the house, power is restored to the wheelchair bound mother, giving her control of the centrally shared program space. The rest of the family, escaping from her grasp, have occupied the outer ring of the home and off-hanging pods that parasitically feed off of the mother’s home and amenities, converting the rear end of her built-ins as their own furniture.

The sectional variation of the house follows the datum line of the mother’s seated eye-level, lowering all other inhabitants so that when they interact with her, they’re at an equal eye level. Though physically separated, the mother-in-law still maintains an elevated vantage point for a constant gaze over the rest of the family. Further isolating the mother-in-law at the center of the home, a pink shag carpet flows throughout the house. In places that she is unwelcomed, the carpet reaches heights that she cannot gain access to due to her wheelchair.