Alec

Benjamin Moore's Barberry paint accents a wall in the living room, which it lit by a chandelier by Andrew Neyer. The ottoman is by Muuto.

MASS Design Group cofounder Alan Ricks upgrades his “not structurally sound” bungalow with innovative materials and enough solar panels to produce more energy than it consumes.

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.

A Nova Scotia couple learn that although triangular homes may look simple, they can be devilishly complex.

In their query letter, Ben and Sarah were clear that they wanted a home that could accommodate all of life’s messes. “We don't want a white display kitchen that only looks good when it's clean and not in use. We want our kitchen to be able to work hard. We love to cook and when we do, there are usually lots of things on the go and a mess being made.”

Floor plan of Farouki Residence by Farouki Farouki

walls are lined in flush timber skirting with a neat shadow gap detail to the clay render.

The Linns’ home, which Andrew Linn and Jack Becker completed for Andrew and his wife last year, declares its commitment to natural materials with a patchwork of wood products on its exterior. The sassafras cladding the lower portion of the house’s east face peels away from the building to become a freestanding fence enclosing a small, private outdoor space in the middle of the alley.

Terra-cotta tiles clad the kitchen backsplash, and the countertops are made of oak.

A light-filled extension by Tom Turner Architects nods to the history and craft of a 17th-century home.

The oak cabinet in the living room was another secondhand find. “It had the exact measurements of the wall,” says Annemie. “We just needed to hang it.” The throw blanket is from La Femme Garniture while the pillows and pendants are custom.

Designed by Madeiguincho, the Columba tree house has handbuilt furniture, a roof deck, and a slide.

Birch plywood walls and pine floors offer texture and warmth in the bedroom on the first level.

The guest bath is sandwiched between the two bedrooms and is designed with the same blue tiling found in the main home's kitchen area.

Hess combined a John Boos butcher-block table with a piece carved by local wood sculptor Vince Skelly to create a sculptural kitchen island. "As soon as [Skelly] brought that in there, [Charlie and Todd's] little daughter hopped up on it and owned it. So, that's where she hangs out in the kitchen," says Hess.

The Perch at sunset.

Now a one-bedroom, it flexes from family home to makerspace with ease.

“There’s something about it that feels very contextual to where it is—on a little teeny hill, looking out over the Dry Creek Valley, and there’s nothing else artful around,” says Louis.

Coliving suites

A detached garage and guesthouse/studio creates a buffer between a busy street and the rest of the property, which includes the main house as well as a pool, sauna, and pond, so that life in the residence can feel more private and secluded.

The 1969 summer house needed a gut remodel—so Carisa Salerno and Aaron Levin rebuilt it piece by piece: “In the end, we feel like we built a sculpture, not a house.”

Custom cabinetry, countertops, and a dining table were crafted from salvaged wood.

The 750-square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) that Bo Sundius and Hisako Ichiki of BunchADU designed in Los Angeles’s Atwater Village is filled with bright colors that help to designate the spaces within the small backyard home.

There’s the option to rent out the top floor, but it also makes a great place for family visiting from Europe to stay.

In turning the second level of the garage behind their duplex into a multifunctional workspace without breaking the bank, Kyle Huberty relied on friends, family, and the community at large.

Like the other houses on the pedestrian-only street, their home comes right up to the pavement’s edge, but unlike any other, it greets passersby with a wide glass facade.