Michael Diaz

Though the fire pit was “kind of an after-thought,” says Hannah, the family uses it year-round. “In the spring and fall, it warms you up on cool nights, and in the summer, it just adds ambience.”

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden.

The outdoor fire pit.

Architect Robert Swinburne deploys a collaborative building approach and hyperlocal materials to craft a Passive House–certified home that celebrates the land it’s built on.

For this kitchen, the architects paired slate-gray HPL (high-pressure laminate) cabinets by Henrybuilt, cool Basaltina countertops, with custom shelving and a white Corian backsplash.

A cantilevered peninsula offers a smart, space-saving solution for the 900-square-foot layout: It offers ample space for food preparation and also acts as a dining area.

A whimsical hand-painted mural by local painter Rob Moss Wilson livens up the bathroom adjoining the outdoor tub.

One of their favorite pieces is the dining nook banquette. “We both grew up in Germany,” explains Hoeller, “where wraparound seating areas around the dining or kitchen table are common.”

The architects set up a cozy reading nook off the kitchen, with furnishings picked by Santos. Positioned as it is beside the big windows, the spot benefits from the views outside, and enables family members to chat easily while cooking.

The entry speaks to how the owners’ modern aesthetic was merged with the historic bones of the brownstone. Now, a marble mosaic tile from Ivy Hill Tile, the ‘Prism Pink,’ was inset into the oak floor to define the entry. The interior designer picked a leather-faced wall-hung cabinet, as the leather will gain patina over time from the high traffic area, yet still look good.

The multidisciplinary team at State of Kin, a Perth-based design studio, wanted to create a uniquely Australian home, one that incorporated a variety of both multicultural and local sources. The idea of such a mix, says director Ari Salomone, "is quite true to the Australian vernacular." <span style="font-family: Theinhardt, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, &quot;Segoe UI&quot;, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, sans-serif;">When choosing what shades would go into the home's color palette, the design team drew heavily on the Western Australian landscape. "We looked to the Pindan red dirt of the Northwest, the luminous white beaches, the dusty eucalyptus greens,

In the kitchen, the couple found barely used appliances instead of new ones to save money. The cabinetry and butcher block counters are from Ikea.

Shane Michael Pavonetti, an Austin-based architect and contractor, and his wife, Holly, built their eco-friendly home on a lean budget of $175,000. The cedar siding used on the exterior reappears throughout the house. Keen on recycling the wood, the couple added shelving to their kitchen as well.

In the bedroom, a party wall is a backdrop for the bed, and there’s a generous walk-in closet on the other side of it.

In a spare bedroom/playroom located in another section of the house, Berg played with juxtapositions of shapes, installing an oak-wrapped, triangular reading nook inset with a circular window.

The fireplace was kept as a nod to the old house, as “it was beautiful and didn't need a lot of work,” says Berg. It has the original brick with a micro cement surround.

Berg floated a seating bench across a new kitchen window, which brings attention to the lowered sill placement.

A detailed shot of one of the custom storage pieces designed by Berg, a sideboard against the dining room wall under the circular interior window. The floors throughout are the main source of pattern in the minimalist palette, and they are white oak laid in a herringbone arrangement.

Alessia’s favorite detail? “I am not a huge fan of handles, so there are only three cuts [in the cabinetry] which lets you open six doors.”

The kitchen island is nine-and-a-half feet long, made possible by knocking down non-load-bearing walls and enlarging the room’s footprint. The island is “much larger than what most people would do in that space, because it's not that large of a space, but knocking down those walls and going with a large island makes the kitchen feel a lot more grand,” says Devlin.

The downstairs bathroom was also dramatically redone for a total of $18,121.

In the main bedroom, Devlin painted the ceiling black for a bit more “moody” treatment.

Quartz floating shelves are a light and airy departure from the typical wood floating shelf.

A built-in counter by the kitchen acts as a workspace.

A well-organized entryway leads to a living room that opens to gardens on two sides.

Low-VOC finishes on the walnut cabinets help improve the home’s indoor air quality. "Our suggestion is always to use water-based rather than oil-based or petroleum finishes," Britt says. Quartz countertops and a ceramic-tile backsplash continue the focus on natural materials.

The kitchen was designed so that the cooktop is in the Caesarstone-wrapped island, which means the cook can enjoy the view while they work. “I love cooking and looking out,” says Michele.

"Around the time we were thinking of moving back [to San Francisco], I took a trip to Marfa, Texas, and fell in love with the agelessness of Donald Judd’s work," says Amy. "I liked the idea of having a classic American reference to the space, since we are influenced as much from America as we are by Asian culture."

Now, the sizeable kitchen is an exceptional blend of old and new. The original floors, coffered ceiling, and windows are joined with IKEA cabinets with Semihandmade fronts, and Vermont-sourced Danby marble counters.

Ice Green marble from Signorino Stone forms the backsplash and countertops. The island bench was custom built with 2PAC grooved MDF in the front and Tasmanian oak legs. The bespoke kitchen hood is made from folded metal with a bronze detail seam up the middle.

The entryway is tucked behind a thin steel wall, shielding it from the kitchen. The designers created a six-inch shelf on the kitchen side for storage.