Danny envisioned the space between the ADU and the house as an informal place to gather. "It creates a sort of courtyard sensibility, which works for our intergenerational family dynamics."

The concrete-and-steel home by Faulkner Architects gives one family a refined escape in the mountains of Northern California.

Danny fitted the kitchen into an alcove outfitted with Ikea cabinets and Semihandmade fronts. The refrigerator is by LG. On the jute rug from Armadillo, chairs from Threshold join a table from Inside Weather.

In the new living room, the floors are covered in pine wood with a Bona Craft Oil finish in Frost, and the walls and ceiling are coated in lime plaster, Mortex by Beal. The handmade hanging chair, made of plaster, is a favorite spot for the couple’s cat, Paka.

After: At the master bathroom's bathtub, the architect turned an existing water feature into a planter.

In the primary bedroom, built-in storage is ship-like and not particularly plentiful. “I’d rather live in 850-square-feet by the ocean and see the sunrise every morning than in 3,000-square-feet in the suburbs,” Caleb says.

The island of Møn in Denmark has a remarkable landscape with dramatic white-chalk cliffs, so it’s fitting that Birkedal—a vacation rental property not far from the beach—features a shape and form that matches its impressive locale.

Designed by Arba, the retreat’s enclosed garden provides outdoor space out of the wind while the cuts give it a strong connection with the setting.

When husband and wife Chris Hougie and Teresa Raffo came across a defunct campground outside of Mendocino, California, the 36-acre property’s raw beauty inspired them to embark on a new adventure. Their new

The heart of the camp is the main residence, the Lake House, which has a stacked "cordwood wall" made from Douglas firs found on-site.

Built-in bunks are decked out with a private window for viewing the outdoors, and an adjustable reading light from Prima Lighting. A simple pendant hangs above the main space.

Amy and Tomasz's cat Gustavo "Gus" hangs out in the dining nook. "They weren't super concerned about having a huge dining table," says Sims, "but we wanted to give them some dedicated space for dining." It is now one of Amy's favorite places in the home.

One of Amber’s favorite features in in the house is the splash of color in the kitchen backsplash, via a tile called 'Unfading' green slate from Vermont Structural Slate Company.

When it came to the studio, homeowner Amy Tran had a vision of a small cabin inside a larger space. Working that into a reality, &Daughters studio designed a raised, built-in structure for Amy and Tomasz's workspace. A built-in cat litter area is noticeable only for its small, square entrance.

Even with multiple structures across their 10-acre property in Maine, Diana Arcadipone and Scott Berk only had one bathroom. This 560-square-foot guesthouse by architect Leslie Benson gives them a second, as well as space for visiting family and friends.

The main living space has a couch from Room & Board and rugs from Dash and Albert, all in colors that reflect the rural parcel. The wood sculpture hanging on the wall is by Don Best.

The light-soaked kitchen and breakfast nook are accented with a blue rug from Anthropologie, pottery from Portugal, and a custom bench seat from Etsy.

“Sometimes you go with emotions rather than logic,” says Woodhull founder Caleb Johnson. “I just wanted to renovate the little Pizza Hut look-alike my son told me looked like a blowfish.”

Both the couch and the rug in the living room were purchased from CB2.

The walnut-framed bay window is a favorite spot for the children. “My eldest son, the moment he arrives at home after school, makes a beeline for that pop out,” says Bonnie. “He wants to eat his lunch right there build his Legos in that space.”

North-facing sliders, from Milgard, fill the ADU interior with natural light. The Benjamin Moore wall paint was customized to match a swatch of nude leather. The desk at left is from Akron Street.

“I knew I was going to use it as an art studio so I didn't want anything precious,” says Amber. “It just feels like a great creative space to think and make art.”

A multi-purpose office and pantry is located on the home's main level. “It’s a private space, but it feels open,” says architect Drew Daly. “Traditionally in Japan, the doors are made using rice paper, but we did an architectural play on that using a slatted wall that creates translucency."

In the remodel, Lotz reoriented the pool and added multiple outdoor spaces, such as a covered terrace with the braai, as well as an outdoor dining table with built-in seating.

Before: When Clément and Eleonora bought the home, the lower level had been kept intact, while the upper two floors, where the remodel was focused, were extensively changed in the ensuing centuries. “I wouldn't necessarily say the beams caught our attention right away because they almost looked decorative, as opposed to integral to the structure,” says Fuller. “They were so obscured and so messed with, they felt like a ‘ye olde country feature.’”

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Opening the connection between the basement and the main floor, Plum Projects made the staircase the center of the home. Polished concrete floors anchor the space.

Toast-worthy ideas for coffee connoisseurs, mocktail mixologists and everyone in between.

In the central tent, a MADE light strip by Martin Doller is woven through a Barn and Werf canoe frame to create an on-brand light fixture above a large Boschedal dining table. Woodbender chairs offer ample seating for groups.

Before: The dated appearance of the sunken bathtub in the master bathroom.

Outside each tent is a patio area outfitted with lounge chairs and a fire pit. At night, an electric blanket keeps things toasty.

Before: The apartment, located in a 1901 building, had previously been converted to a 10-bedroom boarding house dominated by a long hallway.

Before: Béliveau swapped out an unnecessary sitting area in the bedroom in order to replace it with storage and expand the bathroom.

Before: The rear façade did not have many windows.

The confusing layout felt like an afterthought.

Inside, Graff restored cedar planking and added new walls and floor panels. The kitchen features fresh Fisher & Paykel appliances, while an original slanted wood wall with a built-in credenza defines the dining room. “We brought in Corian and used wood planking and terrazzo, since that was a big thing in the 1960s,” the architect says.