Use of Materials

The little house has a firepit surrounded by a steel bench that McWhirter designed, and the couple grow vegetables in raised beds. They “sped up the process a little bit,” McWhirter says, on the corrugated steel fence’s patina by using hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and salt.

After reading about landscape designer Ryan McWhirter’s firm in a local paper, architect Karin Scott reached out about working on a San Antonio, Texas, lot where she and her husband were building their new home.

The Orchard Street Residence was renovated from a humble 1946 cottage in a neighborhood of mostly pre-World War II houses.

"The heavy timber work on the front and back porches, this exposed timber joinery, Craig, our builder, took a lot of pride in and did the work himself,

The eco-friendly escape is powered by solar panels and a wind turbine—and it even includes a full bath.

Since moving in three years ago, the family has adapted to the smaller size of the home, especially as the children have become teenagers. “There's a shed outside that was for our gardening tools and surf boards and stuff, and we've just converted that into a living room for them,” says Maclean.

In the living room, the team raised the firebox, cladded the hearth in a tactile plaster finish, and installed a floating limestone bench that wraps the column. On the left (unseen) is integrated firewood storage, and a cozy reading nook sits on the right. "The bench was designed to be used as a social space/lounge, and is well-used," says Coffey. The wood beams and red brick were scraped and stripped many times to remove the silver paint and reclaim a natural state.

Bleached walnut replaced cold concrete floors in this family-friendly renovation of a dated loft in West Chelsea’s late 19th-century Spears Building. To make the loft feel more welcoming, architects Ravi Raj and Evan Watts toned down the heavy industrial elements of the 2,700-square-foot loft with a warmer and lighter palette and added custom built-ins for a streamlined look. At the same time, the loft still preserves much of its historic appeal—from the exposed brick seen throughout the home to the oversized openings left intact.

The Weltys started construction by having the structure framed out but allowed themselves time to sort through unresolved areas and select finishes. After they spent a year and eight months manipulating materials and playing with textures, their vision finally came together.

Designed by Charles M. Goodman in 1958, the renovated five-bedroom is one of 24 Care-free Homes built by the Aluminum Company of America.

Mikei, his partner, and their dog Shabu Shabu in their living space. The table was made for the outdoors, but repurposed for the dining area from Urban Outfitters. It's surrounded by '80s-era vintage chairs sourced from Betsu.

Mikei calls this space the "reading nook," which is complete with six stainless steel shelves from Kiosk48th filled with colorful accessories from Bi-Rite, HAY, MoMA, and DWR. The vintage chairs sit over a rug from Mush Studios.

A Catalan-American family’s vacation home pays homage to its 200-year history and the rugged charm of brick, cinderblocks, and OSB.

The renovation reconfigured the kitchen to include a peninsula, which has a secondary level for the owners' wheelchair-using daughter.