Murren chose maintenance-free materials, such as Stepstone precast concrete pavers for exterior decks and river-rock-covered flat roofs. He recalls his neighbors’ astonishment and delight when “we went from a giant hole in the ground to a two-story house in just four days.”
Architectural designer Sebastian Mariscal and project manager Jeff Svitak created a house in Venice, California, for Michael and Tamami Sylvester. Known as Dwell Home Venice for its role as an exemplification of modern architecture, the house is an homage to indoor-outdoor living. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.
The sand-colored fascia of the roofline allows the palapa to appear more integrated in its environment, as does the stone wall facade, which blends in with the boulders.
Large boulders are given pride of place in the central courtyard.
“We had these incredible live oak trees, and so we built the house around the trees and the view,” says Raike.
The bathrooms are reminiscent of a luxe spa with sleek fixtures and soothing amenities like a soaking tub.
Now, built-in sofas line the perimeter of the room and utilize the room’s shape better.
In the bathrooms, a different variety of plaster was employed: Moroccan Tadelakt, selected for its waterproof application. (“You see it in most hammams,” says Grimshaw, who had spent time working in Morroco.)
Rossi did not carry the dividing wall between the bedroom and living room all the way up to the ceiling, so as not to break up the treatment up there, instead designing the wall as a custom storage and display unit.
A Roman Clay covered accent wall behind the bed maintains the understated texture Rossi instilled throughout the home, and the new salvaged doors open to the front patio.
The kitchen cabinets were made with cabinet boxes set into framing, then a primed drywall shell covered with a textural Roman Clay finish, and sealed.
On a steep, forested, nearly 30-degree slope adjacent to a ski run and lodge north of Lake Tahoe, Greg Faulkner, founder of Faulkner Architects, spent multiple years working on this contemporary family cabin. The roof "tilts up to the mountains and down to the valley like a visor, while the main home mirrors the ski run to the east side of the property, so the home has a central axis that runs up through it," he says. During the winter, one can ski directly into the living room, with its inset fireplace and 17-foot-high ceilings.
A custom concrete planter is now home to a 70-year-old olive tree. The couple reconfigured the front porch to allow for a straight path between the front door and the driveway for better circulation.
The compact retreat in Nayarit, Mexico, that Palma designed for an American couple comprises two stucco-clad volumes connected by a patio. The oculus above the open space frames the sky.
Virginia-based screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan’s 400-square foot work studio features NanaWall doors that fold open to connect the interior to the surrounding forest.
A second tiny house is set within an existing structure and contains a kitchen, dining area, and bathroom.
The prefab office is perfectly suited for the rugged, remote site and integrates seamlessly into the backyard.
DGN Studio renovated and extended a semidetached Victorian terrace near London Fields for clients Rebecca and Roman. The rear extension is defined by a material palette of exposed concrete and white-oiled oak, which was chosen for its durability, as well as its warm texture and grain. “We are very aware of the dialogue around the sustainability of concrete as a building material, so we were keen to make sure its use was related to a specific set of practical tasks for which it would stand the test of time,” says DGN studio cofounder Geraldine Ng.
SF Historic Renovation
Extension with full height steel frames glazing
Architect Line Solgaard, founder of the eponymous Oslo- and Fredrikstad-based firm, designed a getaway for her family in the place where she grew up. Untreated, exposed concrete pairs with cedar cladding; custom, oak-paneled ceilings; and a glass roof in the center of the home that opens like a sunroof for natural ventilation.
Holly Hollenbeck spent about a year giving her A-frame home near Lake Tahoe a gut renovation.
Tasked with renovating a 1950s ranch in Northern California, Ogawa Fisher Architects revived an existing Japanese garden at the center of the home as a central organizing element. Low-slung, wide decks (inspired by the Japanese “engawa,” or elevated walkway) and deep roof soffits expand the living spaces, frame views, and blur the boundaries between inside and outside. The garden is the second of three courtyards that orients the various wings of the home from front to back, creating a vast sense of openness while also maintaining privacy from other areas of the house and the street.
Build your own lightweight, versatile desk out of copper pipes using this step-by-step video and guide.