The Far Away

MFA Interior Design Thesis

Retreat is a state of mind more than a physical location. It is a refuge, a haven, an act of resistance, and a paradox of usefulness. Expanding the limits of a construct, like a retreat, into the physical world takes quite a bit of experimentation, imaginative thinking, and a profound connection to temporality. Physical restraints, however, can be seen as features rather than hindrances. Design can utilize and play with the limits of materiality and edifice to create immersive and unprecedented sites for personal exploration. By engaging with local topography through bioregional and biophilic elements, an emphasis on craft and handiwork, and harvesting found or pre-used materials or goods to promote an anti-consumerist program, the physical parameters of a retreat can embody and facilitate a frame of mind one can reference again and again even when the body has returned home.