This Beverly Hills kitHAUS is comprised of modernist prefab modules that can accommodate a variety of uses: from yoga studios to home offices, and from weekend retreats to pop-up kiosks and guest rooms.
Architect Janna Levitt devised a creative emellishment for a residence in Canada. Photo by: Philip Cheung
In some parts of the ancient city, the streets run above these subterranean cave homes.
Entry Court
Staggered balconies add to the drama of the exterior without competing with the breathtaking view.
Planted with silver birch trees, a light-filled courtyard creates a visual and physical separation between the old building and new addition.
“From anywhere in the house, you have a sense of the outdoors,” says Melonie, “and yet it’s very private.” Ikegami agrees. “The building was really about the landscape—it can dissolve into the background,” he says. In the master bedroom, Japanese Tansu chests from the couple’s previous home flank a Duxiana bed. The full-height windows and swing door are from Western Window Systems.
After being buried under layers of haphazard renovations, a 1959 Seattle ranch finally reaches its maximum potential.
A look at the beautiful wooden door at the front of the house.
"The sliding door, when you open it, opens a large chunk of living space that more than doubles the perceived space," says Christoph Kaiser. "The big aperture moves and connects you with the lush, desert garden."
LaCantina’s stacking multi slide door systems were installed with a minimal-threshold Weather Resistant Sill built of extruded aluminum with a thermal break and a self-draining weep system.
The architects worked with the natural, six-foot slope of the site and built the Granny Pad into the hill to gain the needed interior height. The volume on the right is the original garage footprint, which now houses a kitchen and sitting room. The added volume on the left hosts the bedroom, as well as a bathroom beneath the loft space.
The central courtyard connects to a raised deck for socializing within easy access to the kitchen.
Aaron and Yuka Ruell transformed a Portland ranch house into a retro-inspired family home with plenty of spaces—like the trellised porch—for their four children to roam.
Large sliding glass doors connect the interior living spaces to the outside, providing seamless indoor/outdoor transitions.
The original 1,000-square-foot house (where the open living, dining, and kitchen area is mostly located) abuts the new, 1,000-square-foot addition in an "T" configuration to make the best use of the site.