The Birch Pavilion sits atop a 14-by-26-foot platform composed of hemlock and pressure-treated timbers. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

Nadarajah decided to put windows where a backsplash might go in order to bring extra light into the kitchen. "The birch cabinets were custom-designed to be the length of a wok and the height of a cake dome," she says.

"I'm a foodie, so this kitchen [holds] a lot of fun dinner parties," Nadarajah says. The island is a deeper shade of birch.

Concrete was chosen for both structural and finish material throughout much of the home, for its aesthetic, functional, and budgetary appeal. The polished concrete floors in the bedroom complement the birch bed and cabinetry. The home provides living space for the couple, two kids, one dog, and two cats.

The studio’s artist wanted a workspace that would be a blank canvas. Accordingly, sustainably sourced birch plywood was seamlessly used throughout the interior space. When it becomes weathered, damaged, or covered in paint, it can be easily removed and replaced.

Dry Joint

Joint between modules

Salminen built the bunk beds out of birch, Finland’s most plentiful tree species, for the couple’s children.

Big Branch Woodworking and Lackey Construction fabricated the cabinetry throughout the home, including the birch built-ins in the mudroom, designed by Jessica Helgerson Interior Design. Each family member has his or her own cubby with storage for coats, shoes, hats and gloves, with built-in outlets for charging iPhones.

The Outward Bound cabins, designed by the University of Colorado Denver's design-build program, have steel frames that lift the structures above a three-foot snowpack while supporting corrugated-steel "snow roofs."

8 shaped joint

30˚Made by Japanese cabinetmaker and designer Akiko Kuwahata, this set of three frames are rendered in 3-mm Oregon pine and painted with yellow, grey, or sky-blue magnetic paint.

The kitchen features stainless steel prep counters, a Samsung stove, and Panasonic over-the-range microwave. The room is bordered by two full walls of windows, allowing light to flood the space at all times of the day. A custom birch butcher block table furnishes the family gathering space.

The birch-plywood cabinets, floor storage space, and banquette were all designed and built by the couple.

Construction of the pavilion was completed in the summer of 2013. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

"This is the Mini-Library in Baltic birch, it's really practical and the scale is good for kids." -Sophie Demenge

Manuel Raeder's coated birch plywood X Chair serves both as a stool and as a modular shelving unit suitable for books and magazines.

Overhanging rafters establish vestibules at both ends of the structure. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The pavilion is framed with 34 lenghs of timber, each about 8 inches in diameter and cut to a length of 9 feet. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The pavilion frames a view of the peak of Mt. Ascutney, 25 miles in the distance. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The Birch Pavilion under construction. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The pavilion is oriented to capture views of the clouds, stars, and foliage. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The architecture firm’s in-house joinery company, Fraher and Co, incorporated storage spaces throughout the home. Beneath the kitchen bar, a birch plywood bookcase holds the chef’s collection of cookbooks and music. Shelves flanking the oven also store and showcase dishes, glasses, and wine bottles.

Though the house sits cozily at the back of a birch forest clearing, Zhidkov says no trees were cut during construction.

Planting Walls & Pavers

Pool Wall Fountains at Night with Birch Tree Light

Andrea Branzi, Animali Domestici (1985)

The Thomson Wall Clock from Lemnos is crafted in multilayered birch and walnut plywood. The simple, clean design includes a birch base layer that is only revealed due to the punched technique of the numbers on the clock’s face. The walnut plywood face is centered by the birch hour and minute hands, which provide a nice balance with the recessed numbers.

Designed by Alvar Aalto in 1945, Bench 153 features Aalto’s trademark bent legs. Available in two sizes—Size A can seat two people comfortably and Size B can seat one person—the bench is both sculptural and light.

Silenci comes in black, or natural ash or birch.

Brambilla designed and crafted the built-in bookcase in a common area from laminated red birch.

Salminen chose flame birch for the cabinetry for its remarkable wavy wood grain.

A large bed hides behind the couch. The lights affixed to the canopy bed frame are Nordlux Cyclone reading lamps.

Open-Door Policy “These big sliding doors allow us to open the bedrooms right up or close them down,” says Bernier, noting that he built the doors on-site from birch boards to keep costs down and then used tracks and hardware from K. N. Crowder. “For now, the kids don’t like it when I close them too much,” but as they approach their teenage years, it will be easy to create more privacy. kncrowder.com

The master bedroom sports a custom birch bed.