Transforming shipping containers into habitable spaces is a growingly popular subset of prefab. Just off the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, Martha Moseley and Bill Mathesius adapted an unused concrete foundation to create a home made from 11 stacked shipping containers. "We were inspired by the site, and our desire to have something cool and different," says Moseley.

The couple connected several of the shipping containers, hollowing out the sides to form large, open living areas. “I’ve always been a loft guy,” says Mathesius.

Delaware. Celebrated local brewery Dogfish Head enlisted the help of Brooklyn-based firm Studio Tack to design their 16-room Dogfish Inn in Lewes. Along with a handful of beer-related accessories, such as custom bottle openers, each room features original art by local artist Steve Rogers, unique blankets by Woolrich, and a medley of modern furnishings.

The couple opted for a floating floor of cork tiles from Ecore Commerical Flooring. In this method of installation, tiles are affixed to one another, rather than nailed into the floorboards. This allows the tiles to expand and contract with heat, making it ideal for radiant surfaces. Moseley and Mathesius are also fans of cork’s natural color. ecorecommercialflooring.com

“The existing house was an important house in the heart of the historical district,” architect Robert Gurney said. To honor the property’s legacy, and fulfill the city’s requirements, the firm fully restored the exterior with cedar shingles.

In addition to saving on construction costs, upcycling an old container can be an eco-friendly alternative to building from the ground up.

Moseley notes the home’s distinctive staircase as one of her favorite features. "When the steel was ordered from the steelyard," she says, "it was marked with our metalworker’s name, for easy pickup. That scribble still exists in random places in the staircase and is very industrial—we love it!" Hand-welded by Mike Carman, a local contractor, the staircase runs through all three floors, and it was custom-sized to fit the dimensions of the shipping containers, measuring nine-feet-six-inches tall and eight-feet wide.

In Mathesius’s office on the third floor, an antique armchair, a rug, and a bookshelf made from salvaged wood create a cozy, sun-filled reading nook.

“The client wished to more that double the size of the house,” Gurney said. “The goal was to provide the additional space as a series of smaller pavilions to allow the original historical house to be the most important part of the composition.” Steel swing doors by Hope’s Windows Inc. lead outside, and a custom standing seam metal roof slopes above the far end of the pool.

Dogfish Head Brewery (Milton, Delaware: 2009) What’s more off-centered than a steampunk treehouse? When the eccentric craft brewery needed a quick expansion, DIGSAU delivered a playful design, filled with tilted angles and expressive geometry. Salvaged materials, LED lighting, and daylight modeling give the new space its green credentials, and the treehouse conference space adds a fitting outdoor touch. Photo by Halkin/Mason Architectural Photography

In the master bedroom, a custom bed by Jason Micciche is outfitted with linens from Marimekko; the ceiling fan is by Fanimation.

This custom glass structure by Ilex Construction allows for an abundance of light during the day. At night, Lightolier fixtures on the ceiling illuminate the Ella bed. Sherwin-Williams “Pure White” was painted on all interior walls.

The custom kitchen boasts a suite of appliances by Miele and custom sliding doors and windows by Arcadia Architectural Series that open to views of the Delaware River, just across the street.

Though many of the interior surfaces have been spray-foam insulated and covered in Sheetrock, the couple, drawn to the natural patina of the shipping containers, opted to keep select areas of the material exposed. Closed off by bas-relief doors designed by Mathesius, the main guest room is one of few spaces that put whole walls of the raw surface on display, painted in Benjamin Moore’s warm Kalamata and Wasabi hues. benjaminmoore.com

From across Delaware Street, the 5 Delaware lofts blend into their downtown surroundings. Just a block away, the stalls of the River Market, which gives the neighborhood its name, are visible in the background.

Outdoor lounge chairs by Richard Schultz sit on brick floors. The pool’s changing pavilion features a full bathroom.

Aside from the master bedroom, there are three additional bedrooms in the house. Gurney and his team used glass throughout to carry light into the home. A Copenhagen nightstand supports a Brazo table lamp in this third-floor guest room.

A Douglas fir ceiling in the screened porch and red bricks are accented by blue Arizona modular outdoor seating by Barlow Tyrie.

Pietra Serena tiles unite the living room, dining room, and kitchen under a mahogany ceiling. San Siro Wall Lamps by De Majo surround a Monti sectional sofa by Dellarobbia.

5 Delaware’s concrete frame stands out as its defining design gesture—even from across Interstate 70.

“In this project, the interior walls and ceilings in the existing historical component are white, and the walls and ceiling materials in the new pavilions are wood,” Gurney said. In the master bedroom, a custom bed and nightstands by Baron Gurney Interiors sit across from an Eames molded plywood lounge chair.

A mix of vintage finds and pieces designed by Mathesius, including a Cor-Ten steel fire pit on the second-floor deck, furnish a majority of the home.

“We were required to keep the existing wall, floor and roof framing in the historical house. Working to get the floors level and the walls plumb presented the biggest challenge,” Gurney said. The windows are from Hope’s Windows Inc.

Embracing the industrial character of the corrugated steel material, he and Moseley applied the salvaged scraps as decorative siding for the hand-welded staircase.

Italian Calacatta Gold marble tiles in the bathroom match an equally pristine Duravit bathtub. Vola fittings were installed in the shower.

Two plays on a gridded globe, we have a car painting company on the left and AIFS-Delaware, a group that promotes foreign study, on the right.

A sepia colored urban landscape photograph of a historic building and boat dock in Delaware City Delaware. Title: Delaware City Dock Photographer: Melissa Fague Genre: Abstract Landscape Photography Item ID#: LAND-0141

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The home is just on the border of New Jersey, overlooking the Delaware River.

By scouring shops, sales, and auctions, George Marrone amassed a giant trove of postwar furniture. He and his partner, Michael Nocera, applied that same work ethic to a 1959 home in Wilmington, Delaware, which they patched up over two years. The couple’s bulldogs stand guard at the flagstone entrance. The door, still with its Space Age knobs, is painted Flaming Torch by Behr. The brass wallhanging above the landing is by C. Jeré.

The Forj Lofts is a Minimalistic/ Scandinavian design. Residing on the Atlantic coast of Delaware, the project is engineered for extreme wind loads. The Forj name is a play on words for an Iron Forge, as there is nothing but steel used for the building components. Limited staging areas for material and crew mandated a carefully executed shipment and assembly program. These steel metal homes are just one example of how steel can be used in multi-family construction.

1135 Delaware Bedroom

1137 Delaware Entryway

1135 Delaware (Back House)

1137 Delaware Dining room

Promenade to the Delaware River Bay