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Laura Mauk writes about architecture and design for Dwell, Wallpaper*, the San Francisco Chronicle, Interiors and Luxe. She worked as an editor for Architectural Digest, Artforum's Bookforum, Allure and Western Interiors & Design after starting her career in New York in the late nineties, when she was first published in Paper magazine.

Budget Breakdown: You’d Never Guess This Serene Family Home Was a Marijuana Grow House
After an ordeal with rogue tenants, Chlo Interiors had their work cut out for them as they removed vinyl vertical blinds, ’80s...
A Family (Finally) Gives Their Eichler Home a Top-to-Bottom Reboot
Twelve years after moving in, a Palo Alto couple add space, functionality, and vibrance to their beloved midcentury.
How They Pulled It Off: A Massive, Coiled Staircase in a 12,000-Square-Foot Home in England
A sculptural concrete and European oak staircase in a house in rural Oxfordshire adds drama and ties into a cinematic valley...
Before & After: In Paris, a Dated ’70s Condo Rounds a Corner With a Curvaceous Revamp
Architect Olivier Lekien rips up green carpeting and knocks down walls as he transforms a 1,345-square-foot flat with archways,...
Budget Breakdown: With $69K, They Made Their Little Paris Cottage Feel Like a Greenhouse
A pair of architects infuse their 1930 house in Montreuil with sunshine and a soothing palette.
Budget Breakdown: This $334K Tiny House Popped Up in an L.A. Backyard in Just Two Days
Built by Fritz Tiny Homes and delivered by crane, the compact ADU brings new potential to a compact Silver Lake lot.
Budget Breakdown: It Used to Be a Forest Service Cabin. They Made It Their Wyoming Retreat With $41K
San Francisco residents Heather Hafey and Eli Chamberlin rolled up their sleeves to renovate an 890-square-foot residence they...
Budget Breakdown: It Took Twice as Long, But This $266K ADU Built a Close Friendship
Architect Melissa Shin works alongside her client to create a tiny backyard house in Silicon Valley with vivid green tile and a...
This Sculptural San Francisco Flat Is Anything But Cookie-Cutter
Haddock Studio preserves an apartment’s Victorian details while updating its interiors with custom furniture, an industrial...
This Off-Grid Design Studio Feels Like It’s Floating in a Forest
Woodland views take center stage in this backyard office crafted from cedar, glass, and concrete.
Before & After: After Fixing Up a Gutted Houseboat, a Couple Join a Legendary Artist Community
Retail executive Marka Hansen and sculptor Joe Brubaker call on designer Michelle Chan to turn a dilapidated floating home into a...
A Quarantine Hideaway Turns Into an Artist’s Dream Home
When the pandemic hit, Chris Saunders moved to a tiny home in Portugal and made it his own.
Budget Breakdown: This $193K Off-Grid Tiny House Is Burly Enough for Canadian Winters
The couple behind Alberta’s Refuge Bay retreat commission a compact getaway designed to stay cozy even when the mercury hits -40...
Budget Breakdown: It Took 40 Days and $46K to Build This Tiny House in Texas
A couple save on secondhand windows and splurge on yakisugi siding to create a cozy retreat just outside Austin.
Before & After: A Dated Victorian/Mediterranean Mash-Up Gets an Esherick-Inspired Makeover
Butler Armsden pulls up ancient linoleum and pink and green tile to craft a radiant retreat for a San Francisco family.
Budget Breakdown: A $237K Tiny Home on Wheels Brings Kids, Parents, and Their Parents Together
A couple invites the younger generations to take over their longtime home and build a new one steps from the front door.
This $225-a-Night Tiny Cabin in Upstate NY Was Built Entirely for Remote Working
Set on a 60-acre farm, the first unit from fledgling company Offsite Camp promises a productive escape from distracting office...
These $350K Cabins Are “Predesigned” for Joshua Tree. Is That a Good Thing?
A firm has secured permits for a replicable 800-square-foot house, making it easier to build a weekend retreat or short-term...
This Garden Studio Wrapped in Charred Timber Shingles Acts Like a Giant Bug Hotel
HyperSpace tunes up a garage in Hertfordshire, England, with a dramatic facade that shelters bees, moths, and butterflies.
On British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast, a Family Builds an Environmentally Attuned Home
The house harvests rainwater, lets in tons of natural light, and has a vivid viridian bathroom that matches the surrounding...
Bowlus Just Launched a Lighter, Less-Expensive Travel Trailer for $159K
The Heritage edition packs a lot of luxury into a compact space—and it’s equipped to venture off-grid for a week and a half at a...
Meet the Women Who Reimagined a Hudson Valley Farmhouse as a BIPOC Residency
The trio behind the thoughtfully updated colonial-style Mae House in Athens, New York, discuss transforming the 173-year-old...
A Prefab Tiny Home Takes Root in a Northern California Vineyard
Built in six months and delivered in a day, the Dwell House provides an extended family with space to thrive.
A Family Builds a Fairy-Tale Tree House in the Woods of Colorado
Set on a storied site, the tiny dwelling offers a place to rest after traipsing through the pines, wildflowers, mushrooms, and...
260 Square Feet of Tree House Is All a Portuguese Family Needs for the Summer
It has handbuilt furniture, a roof deck, and a slide—and you’ll dream about it all winter.
How One Architect Helped Imagine a Better Future for a Nigerian Village in Crisis
After suffering a terrorist attack in 2014, Ngarannam is now celebrating the opening of its new village, a project by the UNDP...
This Tiny Cabin Takes Remote Work to a Whole New Level
Positioned for mountain views, Find Sanctuary’s office cabins promise a restorative escape for anyone who’s burned out at their...
This $32K Backyard Prefab Office Features Walls of Windows
MuuwSpace’s tiny cabin promises a new outlook on working from home, but is insulated from the elements to help keep you focused.
In Los Angeles, a 900-Square-Foot Prefab ADU Brings One Family Closer Together
After the pandemic left the wife’s mother feeling isolated, they built her a backyard house by local prefab company Cover.
An Off-Grid Tiny Home Experiment Puts a Group of Students to the Test
A class at the University of Coburg tries out a pint-size solution to the building sector’s big carbon emissions problem.
These Beach Shack–Inspired Prefabs Along U.K.’s North Sea Are Big on Nature
The series of three tiny cabins by Koto form a destination resort that plugs visitors into a pristine setting in Northumberland.
These DIY Kits Are Like Ikea for #VanLife—and They Start at $5K
All you need to hit the road is a van, a little cash, and a screwdriver according to VanLab USA.
A Retired Couple Set Out for Adventure in an Off-Grid Tiny House
Their compact dwelling is packed with e-bikes, folding kayaks, and skis—as well as a soaker tub and a sofa that turns into a bunk...
A Svelte $79K Prefab Cabin Promises to Work as Well in Your Backyard as It Does in the Woods
UK studio Aylott & Van Tromp’s design aims to feel like a hotel suite, but the firm isn’t telling you what to do with it.
Before & After: A Breakthrough Renovation Reveals a Parisian Apartment’s Good Bones
Architect Olivier Lekien tears down a wall to expose the wood structure—and join the interiors—of a historic residence in the...
#VanLife Too Big of a Commitment? Rent the Lifestyle Instead
For those who are ready to hit the road without giving up their home, new start-up Cabana has camper vans for hire.
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