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Dwell’s Los Angeles-based contributing editor, Kelly has also written about design and architecture for Architectural Digest, Coastal Living, and Luxe.

This Multigenerational Home Near Carmel Is a Slice of Prefab Paradise
An architect spends just over $1 million on modular units to create a custom property for herself and her son’s family.
After 50 Years, a Frank Lloyd Wright Finally Got Built. Then It Spawned a Sibling.
Two friends in Minnesota brought unused drawings to life before creating a companion home with a rhyming roof and material...
In Santa Cruz, a Site Steeped in Lore Gets a New Neighbor That Incorporates Its Eccentricities
The Court of Mysteries features a 30-foot obelisk, a handcrafted brick-and-abalone gate, a temple-like structure with cryptic...
Open House Event: This Ever-Expanding L.A. Home Was 24 Years in the Making
Showcased in our L.A. home tour series, architect couple Rebecca Rudolph and Colin Thompson’s Atwater Village Home is a testament...
Open House Event: This Cozy L.A. Home Pairs High Design With Down-to-Earth Sustainability
Featured in our L.A. home tour series, Lizz Wasserman and Isaac Resnikoff’s Highland Park dwelling has playful interiors and an...
Before & After: An Uninspired L.A. Garage Gets Turned Into a Surrealist ADU
Designer Ben Warwas makes magic on a diminutive lot with a playful building that's all soft edges.
Cool Ranch: The Perfect Southern California Pool Is Behind a Midcentury in the Valley
Settle into a chaise in this groovy oasis with original artwork and colorful details.
$2.1M for a House With Ocean Views. In Malibu? In a Trailer Park?
A beachfront home in California is always going to come at a price.
The Living Is (Mostly) Easy for the Residents of Three California ADUs
Backyard units are the new normal for everyone from renters to entire families looking for a starter home.
Before & After: They Gave Their “Telescoping” Oakland Bungalow an Eye-Opening Renovation
Renovated in stages over the course of a decade, a home in the city’s Temescal neighborhood proves the power of thoughtful design...
A Nonprofit Development in Arizona Offers a Model for Affordable Home Ownership
Part of a community land trust, the Tempe Micro Estates offer buyers an alternative to an overheated housing market.
Budget Breakdown: With $89K, an Architect Expands His L.A. Home for Three Generations of Family
Danny Lim dons multiple hats as architect, contractor, and client as he transforms his Highland Park bungalow with a new ADU for...
In Echo Park, an “Odd Little Property” Turns Into an “Urban Tree House”
Architect Fredrik Nilsson and author Keshni Kashyap blend Scandinavian modernism with a measure of Indian style to create a...
The Mystery of L.A.’s “Lost Neutra” House
Is it or isn’t it by the master modernist? It’s complicated.
Construction Diary: An Architect Sees the Potential in a Little Texas Home for His Growing Family
Instead of expanding, Conrad Karliss focused on reconfiguring his Austin house.
A Secret Garden Springs to Life Around a Glassy Olson Kundig Home
Tom Kundig conjures up transparent pavilions on a verdant property in Venice, California
A Neighborhood Fixture in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Had a Storied Past and Just Got a Fresh Start
Architects William Ruhl and Sandra Jahnes transform a 1919 building surrounded by local lore into an industrial-inspired...
A Silver Lake Tudor’s Gut Renovation Shows That Bigger Isn’t Always Better
The facade’s two-tone paint job is just the start for Bestor Architecture’s renovation of a 1926 house overlooking the reservoir.
An Uninspired Los Angeles Yard Becomes a Lush, Wheelchair-Ready Landscape With a Saltwater Pool
The couple who own the house filled their outdoor space with winding paths and fragrant plants.
Designer Ed Warner Is Creating Stylish Bathrooms for People With Disabilities
The leader of London studio Fine & Able shares how he imagines spaces for diverse body types—and anyone wanting a lifelong home...
Construction Diary: A Stylist and a Photographer Reenvision a 1950s Bungalow
A Los Angeles family shares lessons they learned from renovating during a turbulent year.
A New Build for a Young Southern California Family Is All About Playful Pairings
Massive concrete pendants and an organic blend of Texas limestone, board-formed concrete, and cedar are only some of the...
A Two-Unit ADU in Los Angeles Offers Inspired Spaces for Creative Tenants
Architect Max Kuo transforms a back house and garage into a white-gabled duplex for a diverse mix of residents.
Massive Sliding Doors Connect a Hawaii Home to Its Mountainside Setting
An off-grid getaway on O‘ahu produces all of its own electricity and opens wide to the landscape.
Accessibility Is Only the Beginning—Architecture Needs to Embrace the Full Range of Human Abilities
Designing for everyone spans the mobility perspective, but more needs to be done for the neurodiverse and visually impaired...
A Svelte ADU Gives a Los Angeles Bungalow Room to Breathe
The backyard dwelling by OKB Architecture packs a large program into a narrow lot, allowing a family to spread outward from their...
A Two-Decade Renovation Recasts a Derelict Home as an Artists’ Live/Work Haven
Warren Techentin Architecture turns a wonky Los Angeles house with backyard bungalows into the perfect place for the creative...
To Update a Midcentury With a Striking Open-Truss Ceiling, They Tracked Down Its Original Architect
Designed in 1949 by Donald Edwin Pedersen—a lesser-known member of Southern California’s roster of midcentury architects, the now...
A 17th-Century Building in the Swiss Alps Is Reimagined as a Residence, Rental, and Wine Bar
Designer Jonathan Tuckey rescues a stone-and-timber structure from demolition and reconfigures it as a site for contemporary...
A Boxy Los Angeles Bungalow Conceals a Secret Garden
A single window and door along the concrete-colored facade are all that hint to what’s in store.
This Candy-Colored Spanish Apartment Looks Good Enough to Eat
Peeling back the layers in a 650-square-foot pied-à-terre in Valencia reveals the inspiration for its palette.
This Year’s Oscars Greenroom Warns of the Fragility of the Arctic
Designed by Rolex, the 2020 Oscars Greenroom transports Hollywood A-listers to an arctic observatory with a climate-conscious...
A Couple Convert Their Parents’ Garage Into a Transforming ADU
Flexibility rules in an airy Southern California garage-turned-ADU that gives two professionals the chance to ride the wave of...
A Corrugated, Plastic Bifold Door Opens Up an Artist’s Tiny L.A. Studio
Simple materials transform a rundown wood balcony into a new roof deck and versatile creative space.
A 1970s Bungalow Is Transformed Into a Breezy Beach House in California
Architect David Montalba creates an oceanfront hangout where an extended family can enjoy the sand as their living room.
A Monolithic, Concrete Home Commands the Landscape Outside Mexico City
Architects Javier Sánchez and Carlos Mar created a home with three volumes in Valle de Bravo using board-formed concrete walls...
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