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The home's kitchen features white oak cabinetry and an eye-catching, solid marble backsplash. A Juniper THIN modular light hangs over a large island with a Brizo faucet and Caesarstone counters in "rugged concrete." Appliances from Wolf and Sub-Zero complete the space.

In the family room, cabinets open up to create an office desk. The steps on the left lead up to a mezzanine space that serves as play space for the children and a sleeping area for guests.

Clever cubby storage is incorporated into the base of the interior stairs, while the extra-deep stair treads provide flexible "stadium-style" seating for the kids.

With the home’s relatively compact footprint and efficient floor plan comprising two bedrooms and two bathrooms over a single living level, smart use of space was critical. "Built-in storage everywhere [is] number one," says Melanie. A pantry and storage drawers are tucked under the stairs.

In a family home in Mill Valley, California, Lauren Goldman of l’oro designs kept her clients’ goals of “modern yet accessible” in mind while also looking for opportunities to add functionality. This proved successful when she discovered that the empty space under the steel-and-glass stair landing was the perfect scale for children to sit and read under. The team was inspired to create a kid-sized library, turning a useless space into a perfectly cozy reading nook.

Plywood stair and bench seat adjacent to fireplace

With the average tiny home measuring under 500 square feet, these mini abodes often have to be designed radically different from larger traditional houses. We take a look at seven of the biggest lessons one can learn from tiny home design. No matter if you plan to call a tiny house "home" or not, these key tips are relevant to just about any space, large or small.

Owners and tenants of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) share key insights about how to navigate the unique living experience.

The overall home is constructed with larch timber, a British wood, and features a central ridge beam that gives it a butterfly-shaped roof. Shou sugi ban was done on the wood to give it a charred finish.

The living room is right off the kitchen, and has views of the garden.

One of the smaller bedrooms is now configured as Roberta’s office. For easier access, the room has no door. Floor to ceiling storage can be opened using an app on her phone so she can easily access what’s inside.

The living room has a gray rug by Tai Ping Carpets, rust-colored B&B Italia sofas, a pendant by David Weeks, and a frieze of butterflies by artist Kirk Maxon inspired by birds that flutter in the treetops outside Roberta’s balcony. Blinds, pocketed in the soffit above the doors, come down automatically when the sun is too bright.

The entry has a cubby for Roberta’s shoes and a branch-shaped grab bar made of bronze by British designer Phillip Watts.

The master bath also features a sunken tub which is an extension of the hex-tile floor. The walls are covered in penny tiles. There is also an adjacent steam shower.

A custom bookshelf doubles as a staircase that leads to a lofted play space.

Rather than a traditional frame construction, the Kansas City, Missouri, home of architect Jamie Darnell and Michele was built using SIPs (structural insulated panels) that came in four-by-eight-foot sections in kit form. With ladderlike steps leading to the front door, the place feels like an ultrapolished tree house. The arboreal atmosphere was intentional. "We’re tree people," Jamie says. Jamie built the decking, of ipe, to accommodate a tree by the entrance to the garage.

The clients insisted that none of the trees on the property be disturbed, so Kevin Alter and his team at Alterstudio Architecture built a deck and an overhang around two of them.

Born outfitted the living room of the original house with vertical slats on which to mount any manner of visual material. Artwork becomes easy to move around, but Lloyd-Butler likes the placement of a painting by Wayne Gonzales depicting Lee Harvey Oswald.

The layering of the remodeled house is revealed in this image of Robin and Jeremy relaxing on the front deck.

This open-ended box, lined in mirrored glass, performs like a kaleidoscope, amplifying the mature Melia tree’s presence within the dining room.

The house, painted in "Poppyseed

The designer renovated her homestead after the area's permitting laws changed.

A guest bedroom, with furniture from Room & Board, overlooks the bridge above the dining courtyard. The home’s landscape architecture is by Ventura, California–based Jack Kiesel. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

The creative dining room table is not just a clever solve for a small space, it's a beautiful bespoke piece. Form and function each gets its spotlight.

The table folds out to seat four people, or become a bigger workspace to spread out.

The table’s base, which itself is an additional storage container, rolls easily into place to support the surface.

Soaring ceiling heights and dramatic glass walls bring the outdoors in.

A mezzanine loft level provides extra floor space without increasing the home's footprint. Built-in bookshelves double as a guardrail for the lofted work space, accessed by a built-in ladder.

The Nook exterior features shiplap cypress siding, a reclaimed oak deck, and an entranceway of oak blackened in the traditional Japanese method.

The bedroom opens out onto a small rear deck with potted plants and an outdoor shower.

The front door opens to a courtyard. A sliding glass door leads to an open-plan kitchen/dining area.

Built-in shelves run along the entire length of the wall of the mezzanine study loft.

A gray table, mint-green pendant lamp, and blue dining chairs are located in the dining area.