The Wall Street Journal reached out to William Duff Architects Founder and Managing Principal William Duff for his take on living within his self-designed home during the age of self-isolation.

This is a summary of an article by Nancy Keates for The Wall Street Journal.

 ‘Architect William Duff designed his own house to include big, open, transitional living spaces that allow maximum human connection—the same philosophy he recommends to his clients.

Now he has been banished to the basement.

It turns out an open floor plan isn’t acoustically ideal for multiple simultaneous conversations, something he didn’t fully realize until the coronavirus quarantine forced him to work from home alongside his wife, 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter. The only place where he can peacefully talk on the phone and participate in video calls is a dark, isolated room on the lower level with a Murphy bed and no access to the outside.

“I painted myself into a corner,” says the founder and managing principal of San Francisco firm WDA.

Mr. Duff is also planning on shifting space usage at his house. Since the closure of restaurants has increased his family’s cooking, he wants a bigger kitchen, with more room to store food and additional places to lounge. He is also thinking about expanding his outdoor living area in front of the house by putting in furniture where people could sit and socialize with neighbors without getting too close. “When you’re cooped up inside you really want to say hi to people in the street,” he says.’

Read more here.