First-level floor plan for the Brook by Small
Hanna’s sleeping suite includes a bathtub by Badeloft. Windows, cut into walls covered with matte white porcelain penny tiles with blue grout, provide views. Only the home’s concrete raft “basement” is windowless; it contains a Tesla battery, the water pump, and storage closets.
Set in the trendy Vista Las Palmas neighborhood, the restored midcentury is recognized for being the largest Alexander-built home—as well as the residence with the largest pool.
Architect: Lloyd Russell, AIA, Location: Encinitas, California
The team installed a more appropriately scaled staircase so that the foyer is a proper entry point to the house. The radial ceiling trim accents a new chandelier.
Third Floor Renovation Plan
Now, the space is perfect for stargazing or taking in the desert views.
Artist Christopher Florentino’s Ghost Loft is a delightful mix of midcentury treasures, Pop art, and Japanese design.
“We designed the house to have beautiful views of the countryside and of the village where our family has very strong ties,” says architect Jan Vanweert.
The pool is lifted up from the forest floor to the level of the home on a single concrete fin.
Crafted as a “humanized cave,” a contemporary concrete home in Leiria combines live, work, and play for a young family.
Architect and surfer Kenichiro Iwakiri transformed a 40-year-old cottage into his own beach house in Shonan, Japan. This region, located south of Tokyo, is known for its surf spots.
The designers were very cognizant of the cottage’s sensitive surroundings when renovating the structure.
Stainless steel—such as this mesh ceiling—gives residential interiors a utilitarian edge, says Michael Fohring of Odami, and it's a material choice he hopes to use in one of the studio's own projects soon.
With views of the San Jacinto Mountains, the half-acre lot serves as an idyllic setting for entertaining and relaxing. In addition to the pool, the fenced-in area also includes an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, and detached guest house.
At night, recessed lights trace the structure along the overhang while the pool glows in the moonlight.
Light pours through clerestory windows in the master bathroom. Staying true to the home’s overall aesthetic, Sweet used simple, contrasting materials—white oak for the cabinets and Ann Sacks white tiles for the walls.
Opposite the desk, steps lead up to the master bedroom.
A concrete block wall (above) separates the entry from the living area, where an Arne Norell Kontiki easy chair joins an Eames lounge chair.
House Within a House floor plan
After: "We wanted to restore the missing components back to their 1890s original form, while inserting additive elements that would transform a schoolhouse with classrooms into a building for apartments and modern day living," says Brian Rome, the principal of Rome Office.
Located in the corner of the lot, the 2-story art studio is connected to the existing main house via a raised deck with outdoor fireplace and a meandering hardscape path
Architect David Montalba renovated a 1970s bungalow for Janette Sosothikul in Oxnard, California, a beach town midway between Malibu and Santa Barbara.
The exterior of Casa Almudena at night
The Martello Tower Y is one of approximately a hundred Martello towers built in the early 19th century along the British coastline to defend against Napoleon's army.
In accordance with the brief, the firm left the landscape largely in its natural state.
The warm wood furnishings stand out against the sculptural staircase, which references the form of the wall outside.
A conversion with space-saving solutions in Paris.
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