The sunken living room is just one of many grade changes inside the structure. “We were adamant that we didn’t want something domestic,” says Andrew. “We wanted something surprising, that was hyper-animated, and that, when you moved through it, changed all the time.” The sofa, designed by the couple and Levenbetts, is upholstered in cotton velvet. The Habibi side tables are by Philipp Mainzer for e15, the fireplace tools by Fort Standard, and the doors by Fleetwood.
The sofa, designed by the couple and Levenbetts, is upholstered in cotton velvet. The Habibi side tables are by Philipp Mainzer for e15.
For a concrete guesthouse in Stone Ridge, New York, LevenBetts designed an onsen-inspired bathroom with a steam room and a hinoki tub.
Floor plan of Square House by Levenbetts
Floor Plan of Woodlands Hideout by Further Society and Arbor and Co.
The Hideout is currently available for rent on Airbnb. “Obviously you can get off the grid and go to a more traditional cabin or camping, but to have a space that’s also designed very internationally brings it to the next level of that experience,” says Castillero.
“I envision people writing their books, music, refuelling their creative flow,” says Castillero. He should know about its energizing power more than anyone, really: it brought him back to his love of architecture, after all. “It’s truly my new happy place.”
The lower level of Maison Amtrak has two studies, storage space and houses the mechanical equipment for the house. The two bathrooms upstairs are directly over the mechanical services, keeping cost and noise down.
Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.
Natural light was very important for homeowners, incorporated though plentiful clerestory glass and indoor-outdoor access.
Designed to feel like the cabin of a boat, Eduardo's bedroom is clad in marine grade plywood.
In the kitchen, designers Alfie Koetter and Luke Studebaker worked with woodworker Aaron Hauser of Mason Haus to create custom new millwork inspired by the look and feel of the original cabinetry. Hauser sourced sequence matched natural birch that was rotary cut to create the cabinets.
Floor plan of LIC Residence by Keith Burns
The landscape behind the house was left natural. Oak and juniper trees dominate the plot, and forest critters—foxes, wolves, raccoons—are frequent guests. Due to COVID-19 supply chain holdups, the exterior doors arrived several months late, which, according to the homeowner, resulted "in a raccoon being the first resident of our house."
The green roof’s dramatic slope is supported by a mesh-and-soil planting system by SOPREMA. Landscape architect Marie-Ève Parent of Lemay did the landscape design. The original house is visible beyond.
Half-buried in the hillside, the house has stable indoor temperatures in all seasons thanks to thermal mass and passive ventilation. In winter, radiant heating in the floors and a sculptural fireplace keep things cozy.
Sheathed in black asphalt shingles, the Sea Ranch home created by architect David Ross and artist Mark Dutcher exemplifies values espoused by the 60-year-old community: modesty, aesthetics, simplicity, and respect for the natural environment.
In the bedroom, the home’s allover fir lining extends to the base of the platform bed, which has matching linens for a highly monochromatic effect. Daylight streams through a skylight and ground-level window.
A recent painting by Mark hangs on the door between the living room and bedroom but might soon be swapped out. “The idea is that I can make a piece in the studio, put it up and live with it for a while, and then change it for something new,” says Mark.
The below-grade kitchen/dining room opens to a sunken wood porch. Sliding glass doors and an operable awning window from Fleetwood provide natural cross ventilation for cooling. The site is located in a forested area but is “brighter and less sequestered than you’d expect,” says David, thanks to the surrounding Sea Ranch commons.
The home is located at Ragged Point, and the young family is always “running full out,” as Adair says—so she and Kopp cheekily named the project the Run Ragged house.
The "red room
A variety of factors—the site, the topography, the dramatic cantilever above the water—led to the home’s specific square shape and position on the site.
In the cobblestoned center of Andermatt, Switzerland, renowned for its skiing, locals Al and Francesca Breach scooped up a cottage dating from 1620 that they hoped to transform into an office with a ground-floor wine bar and guest accommodations. Although it was reimagined for contemporary living, it is graced with inviting old touches, like an original stone oven that still provides heat.
The front of the compact ADU has a small patio that extends the living space outdoors.
A wooden staircase with built-in cabinetry connects to
The home's multi-colored exterior and wave-like roof pops against its lush green lawn.
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