A corner townhouse that borders the Warren Place Mews in Brooklyn was occupied by the same family for generations. Architect Nate McBride, who reworked the interior for the new owner points out that the window heights get dramatically smaller the higher up you go.
The primary bedroom cabin sits in a natural clearing amongst the trees, allowing for a water view and copious sunlight. The boulder-studded coast offers gently sloping paths to the ocean for a quick dip.
The property also includes a similarly designed guest house, which can easily be used for short-term rentals or as an artist's retreat.
Reilly identified the Santa & Cole Tekiò linear suspension light as a statement piece early in the design process; its metal frame is wrapped in Japanese washi paper. The Gaggenau induction cooktop integrated into the counter on the back wall is nearly invisible. The undercounter fridge drawer is entirely inconspicuous. “I made this as minimal as modern as I could because the last kitchen I designed was very traditional,” Reilly explains. The steel column was added for support after taking down a wall.
The exterior material palette, comprised of charred wood and exposed cement, effortlessly merges into the interior spaces, strengthening the home's uniformed design.
While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”
Even a small patio can have a monumental effect. A green wall in this kitchen patio also brings views to the higher parts of the slender town house, located in the West Village in New York. The counter and floor, clad in gray honed slate, and the teak-clad walls and bench complement the greenery.
The large blue barn door, mimicked by the garage doors, is an hommage to the family home, which also has big sliding storm doors.
The living room’s showpiece is a Zircon stove by Malm; its flue snakes 25 feet to the ceiling. “We really wanted the fireplace to be the anchor within this large space,” says Raj. A rust velvet Lenyx sofa from CB2 provides a punch of color within the minimalist palette. Nearby is a custom maple credenza by Croft House. The white-trimmed windows are from Loewen and the white paint throughout is Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.
Burch Cottage floor plan
Sliding glass doors blur the lines between indoors and out.
Assembled in just two weeks, this cedar-wrapped passive house near Woodstock, New York, designed by BriggsKnowles A+D, realized a couple's dream of rural living.
When staying in one of the prefabricated chalets at Whitepod Eco-Luxury Hotel in Monthey, Switzerland, ski trips are prefaced by breakfasts that are delivered daily via a 100% electric Land Rover Defender food truck. Drawing power from a hydroelectric turbine, the zinc-roofed structures are energy self-sufficient.
The Ginkgo Blossom Chandelier by Rosie Li
Custom cherry cabinetry with integrated handles and sliding doors brings a furniture-like component to the open kitchen. Three 1960s Scandinavian flush mounts by Arnold Wiigs Fabrikker brighten the soapstone counter, while two cognac leather stools by Afteroom for MENU are tucked beneath.
For her family’s house near Melbourne, Anna Horne created a series of prefab wood modules using a design from the company Prebuilt. She found the old industrial letter at a factory; it stands for Somerset, the name of the house.
Go Home by Go Logic is a design/build firm that designs and constructs modular homes that stand out in the crowd: they're both modern and contemporary, but still harken back to the traditional architecture of farms and barns in New England.
Manufactured with up to 70 percent recycled steel, the hybrid prefab Graham Residence by Blue Sky Building System limits construction waste to the factory, where it's recycled.
Based in Woolwich, Maine, Raoul and Vicki Hennin founded Montsweag Brook Corporation on the coast of Maine in 1998--they design, build, and deliver unique customized bungalows throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Having built authentic timber frame homes for over 30 years, Raoul brings classic timber framing skills to small house design and construction. With a physics degree from Harvard College, he custom designs and engineers each structure for optimal use of materials and space.
A series of horizontal window panes on the rear facade serves as vanes for ventilation and adds a craftsmanlike design come nightfall, when the house is
lit up by the flicker of candlelight and gas lamps.
Originally built in 1974 as a kit home, this A-frame cabin was saved from ruins by an ambitious couple who temporarily turned it into a home for five.
Drawing inspiration from the farmhouse vernacular, the Clinton Corners Residence features gabled structures clad in western red cedar and topped with standing seam metal roofing.
Different shades of brown can bring a calm, earthy feel to living rooms and studies.