An Englander wood-burning stove warms the living room, and the two round windows were inspired by architect Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti, which the couple visited on a cross-country van trip.
“We splurged on everything—we doubled our budget,” says Remo. To afford the increases, he sought out cash discounts, and Emi got trade rates through her company on pricey materials like limewash paint and Zia cement tiles.
Remo and Emi started with a feeling—calm, cozy, and simple—and went from there, outfitting the space with white limewash paint, maple plywood built-ins, and green textiles and tile.
A Murphy bed pulls out of a central, maple-clad volume that also holds a sleeping loft, a bathroom, and a kitchen designed and built by Remo. “When it’s so small, you see everything a little bit closer,” Remo says. “There was more pressure to do it right.”
“Everything is in the core,” Farley says. “It’s an efficient way to organize space and functions.
Remo Kommnick and Emi Moore wanted a minimalist home that could blend with its site in rural Virginia. “We had to keep things really simple,” says architect Patrick Farley. The cabin is clad in stained western red cedar, and its form is inspired by shelters on the nearby Appalachian Trail.
After staying in a tree house listed on Airbnb, Remo Kommnick and Emi Moore wanted their own getaway in the woods. "It was amazing being up in the trees,
The suburban backyard garage in Hertfordshire, England, that architect Olli Andrew of Hyper converted into a work studio is wrapped in charred larch wood pieces that give the impression of scales and foster biodiversity, providing a place for insects to nestle.
Loon Lake Retreat floor plan
The detached screened porch sits out in the landscape, not unlike a Japanese teahouse.
The concrete wall behind the porch provides a backdrop for the wood stove and privacy from the road.
“Friends can use the screened porch for the day, like a cabana,” the wife says. The couple are also planning for teachers from High Meadow Farm to hold practices here. “People will be able to use the porch and have access to the lake while our family is also using the house,” the husband adds.
Lane also designed a detached screen porch for the property. Its orientation captures the view of a small mountain across the lake. “A New Hampshire lake house always has a screened porch,” he says. “This one allows for a separate experience that connects you to nature.”
The tile backsplash matches the wall color, though it differs in texture, and the countertop is made from local granite. The light-colored wood screen set at the back of the darkly stained cabinetry mirrors the dark outside and light inside of the exterior facade.
Modern Windsor chairs by Hay surround an oak extension table by Ethnicraft. “You flip a lever and it gets larger,” Lachapelle says. The original plan called for a center island, but the owners wanted the flexibility of a table they could also use as a prep surface. The oak cabinet behind the sofa is on casters for additional utility. “We can even use it outside,” the husband says.
The wife notes that the pattern on the concrete reminds her of a floor she once saw in Nepal.
DiNiord collaborated with craftsman Ken Hood to design the concrete bench with firewood storage and detachable wood back. Douglas fir columns along the walkway creates a colonnade. The mono-sloped roof is a nod to the long roofline of the original house that stood on the property. “Reducing the angles also reflects the strictness to budget,” the wife says.
“We designed the landscape and house in tandem to ensure continuity between the exterior and interior,” diNiord says. An outdoor sling chair by Croft House sits in front of the outdoor shower under the covered patio in front of the primary bedroom.
In the entry, a high interior window borrows light from the bedroom wing and a woven wood screen in the kitchen lets the owners see who’s at the front door. Kalon Studios crafted the bench from a single ash log. “It will split a bit over time,” Lachapelle says.
Dutchess County Studio floor plan
Sheathed in dark bronze corrugated steel, Buttons and Ridgie Barton’s boldly geometric home in California’s Napa Valley rises on the footprint of the retreat they lost to a wildfire in October 2017.
The kitchen was completely remade with custom cabinetry and counters. "We weren't really sure what we wanted in the kitchen, so my dad had an idea to build us a kitchen out of cardboard with an island and everything. Aaron and I are visual people so we needed to see it at scale to decide,
New cherry paneling and flooring throughout complements the original Douglas fir exposed beams.
The 1969 summer house needed a gut remodel—so Carisa Salerno and Aaron Levin rebuilt it piece by piece: “In the end, we feel like we built a sculpture, not a house.”
Hilary and her husband, Jimmy, opted for a functional, restrained material palette. In the dining room, Rejuvenation pendants hang above a table by Hedge House and chairs from Hay.
"My goal was to carry on the client’s family legacy by creating a very special place that took inspiration from the landscape,” explains architect Tom Kundig.
After the home was assembled, a local contractor built the outdoor concrete patio and barbecue on site.
Beach Drive Home floor plan
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