Tag: poche

snəɡ: comfortable and well protected from the weather; close-fitting; providing a position of contentment.

In 2021 I applied for a patent for the Poche framing system. Four years later, much to my surprise, the patent was granted. It was intended for small houses. But something happened between February 2021 and February 2025. Tragedies. My son died. Then my husband and mate of 45 years died. For anyone who has experienced this sort of personal loss, you know that it ungrounds you in unimaginable ways. This happened to the Poche framing system. It became detached from the house and floated in a creative ether where the following conversation materialized:

ml: I keep thinking about a Snug.

You: What’s that?

ml: A super small place. You will not easily fit furniture into the Snug.

You: What do we use it for?

ml: You will BE in the Snug.

You: What?

ml: Doing nothing.

You: Why?

ml: Because you can.

You: hmmm, What a waste.

ml: Maybe. But here is the thing: When you do nothing in a space that is made for doing nothing, something happens. Time slows. And you begin to notice everything that goes on in nothing.

You: So what?

ml: You feel different, serene. For no reason at all.

You: Huh?

ml: You go into the Snug once.

You: And?

ml: Nothing, but you decide to give it a second chance. And you notice maybe, just maybe you do feel  different. So you try it again.

TIMELINE

February 18, 2025: USPTO patent #12227946 Issued to Inventor ml Robles

2025:

• Q1: Design Development

            -snug materials

            -snug context: land

                        +build up twig structures

                        +garden/tree possibilities

• Q1&2: Build a Snug and Document the process

            -get investor and build on ml’s land

            -accept a client and build on their land

• Q3&4: Market the Snug

            -to resorts, getaways etc. as guest amenity

            -to private clients

            -to exclusive developments as unique amenity for their residents

            -to public urban context (library, convention center, any public area with a secured                                     outdoor space).

• Q3&4: Build Snugs

            -document the stories of doing nothing

            -document the stories of serene

The dialogue continues..

You: ­what’s your competition and how does Snug stack up against it….Sauna? Unused bedroom? Lounge chair in living room, on beach, etc.?

ml: Beautiful understanding of what the Snug is. Yes, all the aforementioned qualify as Snug moments. One vital part of the Snug is that it will be set in nature, however that needs to be established given   the setting (backyard versus public park versus retreat setting)

You: the obvious elephant in the room is creating the demand for it – that doing nothing/sereness is something we want, AND getting/doing that in a dedicated space is the best/only(?) way to get it.

ml: most excellent point. which is why the previous short narrative does not make any assertions. there is insurmountable evidence from health and wellbeing to performance and evolution; using science and philosophy and spirituality to assert the value of being at peace. It is one of those: will know it when I see it moments. I came to know it through architecture, i think you experienced it at the EOM projects we visited in Culver City. Slow architecture. The Snug is inserting itself into that context as a threshold. a slice of space modulating inside and outside by provoking the experience of nothing. 

ml: the most curious part of this Snug proposal is that those who are ready for it will show up, everything else is irrelevant. what a wild business approach!!

You: ….  =  “build it & they will come!”