In the bathroom closest to their daughter's bedroom, the owners made the shower accessible to a wheelchair.
The entrance to home is defined by two Foo dogs, which are feng shui symbols of protection—and these dogs also give the home its name. The board-formed concrete of the main living wing has been left as is, creating a play of constantly changing shadows. Over time, weather will naturally soften these joints, and the look of the home will subtly evolve.
“Everything needed to be approachable and simple,” says Hilary. “The house reflects who we are.”
Instead of designing a completely open plan, Berg separated the public rooms with a freestanding fireplace wall made of Mutual Materials bricks in Coal Creek. An Emmy sectional by Egg Collective for Design Within Reach faces a Lars chair from Room & Board
A see-through entry hall joins the living areas with a bedroom wing.
After: Kitchen, Living and Dining Area
The kitchen has open storage and cabinets and an island made of plywood.
Nakada works from an Alvar Aalto table in the living and dining area, adjacent to the kitchen. He saved on some elements, such as the plywood cabinetry, and splurged on others, such as the Finn Juhl chairs and Vilhelm Lauritzen lamp. A skylight beneath the angled roof allows in a sliver of constantly changing light.
The Perth residence of Renee Coleman via the Design Files.
A spacious deck was created as part of the addition. A cantilevered concrete bench stretches out to the rear garden and complements the adjacent concrete wall.
Light Show: Resolution: 4 pierced a concrete wall edging the exterior stairwell with acrylic cylinders to make a clever lighting installation. The cylinders transmit sunlight during the day, Tanney explains, and at night the installation becomes a “backlit constellation” triggered by motion sensors.
Pros: Concrete countertops are durable, resistant to heat, and can be less expensive than natural stone, especially when completed as a DIY project.
Cons: Concrete must be sealed before being used; otherwise, its porous nature means that it will stain very easily.
The unadorned street-facing facade of the house belies the light, open, tranquil space inside.
Yumi (left) and Maya (right) cheese around on the steps leading into the front door. Inside, there is ample space for removing and leaving one's shoes, another Japanese element.
"It was nothing but a muddy pit," landscape architect Terence Lee says about the 500-square-foot yard behind his Pacifica, California, house. Instead of filling the space with potted plants or paving it over for a quick fix, Lee devised a simple budget-friendly plan involving tilted lines and a few plants to fashion a functional, low-maintenance space fit his family of five's lifestyle.