One renovation request, homeowner Isaac Hase says, “was having a place to drop your shoes.” At the mudroom end of a run of kitchen cabinets, you’ll find another feature the couple asked for. “We wanted to have a dedicated, visible place for our little stash of cookbooks,” Karoline says.
Dimensions X was founded in 2020 by entrepreneur Oscar Martin and architect Peter Stutchbury to answer one question: How can prefab housing be more site-responsive? Their answer is the modular cross-laminated timber OM-1, a roughly 600-square-foot cabin where everything from its dimensions to its envelope can be optimized and adjusted to better suit its environment, and its owner.
Designed by Arba, the retreat’s enclosed garden provides outdoor space out of the wind while the cuts give it a strong connection with the setting.
The use of the stone as a foundation allowed the budget to be reduced as it minimized the amount of work and materials.
“Sometimes you go with emotions rather than logic,” says Woodhull founder Caleb Johnson. “I just wanted to renovate the little Pizza Hut look-alike my son told me looked like a blowfish.”
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Leelanau County, Michigan
Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017
Laneway entry with multiple discreet openings.
Taku designed built-in storage for Eugene’s room.
“Temporary wallpaper can offer a low-commitment strategy to transform a room,” says Frederick Tang. Here, a design by Chasing Paper features a graphic “X” pattern.
5. "What are the top 10 most important things I must have in a home?"
"If there are two people buying the home, write your answers down separately, starting with your absolute must-haves," Hoffman explains. “Putting together a list separately can give both parties and the realtor a clear picture of what the perfect home will have for both of you."
Light wood floors, new drywall, and a fresh coat of white paint now gives the house a luminous quality. The front entry is to the right of the fireplace, and there are now better sight lines into the kitchen and dining area to the left.
The renovation preserved the original facade of the 1914 Craftmsen-style home, while opening up the interior and employing numerous resilient, health-conscious design techniques.
Working with salvaged and donated materials (and without ferry service), the Stinn Family assembled this dreamy getaway piece by piece.
“The entrance is very unassuming,” says Jack. “It says ‘offices’ on the smaller building that faces the street, and the warehouse flats are set back. East London is quite busy, and walking in through the plant-filled courtyard makes our flat feel like a little oasis.”
Solomon Troupe Architects designed this 430-square-foot backyard bedroom suite for the owners to retreat to when their family comes to visit.
Like the other houses on the pedestrian-only street, their home comes right up to the pavement’s edge, but unlike any other, it greets passersby with a wide glass facade.
The slats on the window offer solar protection and privacy. “Before the slats were installed, it really felt like you were just living on the street,” says Vanbesien.
A detached garage and guesthouse/studio creates a buffer between a busy street and the rest of the property, which includes the main house as well as a pool, sauna, and pond, so that life in the residence can feel more private and secluded.
Beneath the postcard-like backdrop of La Concha mountain, a previously abandoned Spanish villa received a modernist revamp for a couple and their young child. Natural, earthy interiors connect the living spaces to the lush surroundings, with the light-filled kitchen opening directly onto an outdoor pergola and pool.
A wall covered in graphite-colored Ann Sacks tile runs from the kitchen out to the covered porch. Similarly, the sheetrock ceiling and the concrete flooring are extended from inside to outside—a cost-saving measure that provides visual continuity. The Hot Mesh outdoor dining chairs are by Blu Dot.
The bedrooms all feature underbed storage and ample wardrobe space. “There needs to be enough space to store everything, or it would get really messy very quickly,” says architect Line Solgaard. The master bedroom has a window that frames a view of the lagoon and the rising sun in the mornings.
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