In the living room, a Söderhamn sectional sofa from IKEA joins a Molded Plastic Rocker by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller and a Jøtul stove. The burlap pillows were crafted by Cori out of coffee bean sacks. “She has ideas about making stuff that I would never think of,” says Craig.
Artist Cori Creed stands in the kitchen of the vacation home in rural British Columbia that she and her husband, Craig Cameron, built with their friend and architect, Kevin Vallely. Cori made the ceramic dinnerware and pendants, while Craig built the kitchen island and installed the plywood ceiling with the help of his stepfather.
Summary harnesses the power of prefabrication to create a set of compact homes on a breathtaking site.
“Watching the sunrise and moonrise from the living room is gobsmacking,” says James.
The cabin has charcoal-colored metal siding and a punchy yellow-green front door for contrast.
"We love space, because of the different heights and the light,
Photo by Aldo Lanzi
Floor Plan of Gneissland by Legendary Group
Even as the square footage of this cottage in Fayston, Vermont, shrank in response to budget constraints, architect Elizabeth Herrmann remained focused on making the space feel warm and functional for a family of four and their dog and cat. "I think the trick to making small spaces feel much larger is to design the experience of being there,
Built entirely from teak harvested on-site, this breezy solar-powered home in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, ticks all the right boxes for a pair of avid environmentalists who love surfing.
"In some ways the strongest attributes of the house are probably the outside spaces,” says Court. The original cedar deck was replaced with Kebony decking that wraps around a century-old cherry tree. A pair of Andy rockers from Mamagreen face an ottoman by Kenneth Cobonpue. The accordion doors are a NanaWall SL-60 system that allows the main room of the guesthouse to open completely to the deck.
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.”
Loon Lake Retreat floor plan
Loon Lake Retreat site plan
“They’re well-traveled New Englanders who had always lived in older, traditional homes,” Lane says of the clients. “They wanted a contemporary home with warmth, texture, and craft.”
The concrete wall behind the porch provides a backdrop for the wood stove and privacy from the road.
Interior designer Heidi Lachapelle chose unfussy furnishings with clean lines. “Nothing should feel decorative or unnecessary,” she says. “We looked for things that would age beautifully to speak to the wabi-sabi concept.” The oak daybed is by Bautier, the indoor/outdoor rug is by Dash & Albert, and the trapezoidal cushions on the concrete bench nod to similar ones that the wife saw at Georgia O’Keefe’s home and studio. The Scandinavian-inspired fireplace throws heat from two sides.
The owners built the house as a place to gather with their three adult children on Loon Lake, where they had vacationed at the husband’s family home for years. The modern Adirondack chairs are by Loll Designs.
The home includes handcrafted details such as built-in cabinetry and shelving. The open-plan living space is anchored by a floor-to-ceiling stone inlay fireplace and framed by a warm wood paneled post-and-beam ceiling. Artwork on view: (foreground left to right): Gerald Luss, Sofa for The Gerald Luss House (c. 1950s); Frances Palmer, Terracotta Planter; two Not Yet Titled works by Alma Allen (2020) (2017); Gerald Luss, Coffee Table for The Gerald Luss House (c. 1950s), porcelain vases by Frances Palmer (2021); micaceous clay vessels by Johnny Ortiz (2021); Alma Allen bronze dish, Not Yet Titled (2019); Green River Project LLC, Aluminum and Leather Lounge Ch air (2021); (background left to right): Ritsue Mishima, Seed Crystal (2017), Fonte (2020), Arca (2012); Gerald Luss, Untitled (2020); two Untitled (2021) works by Yoichi Shiraishi; Cecily Brown, Reasons to be Cheerful (2020 - 2021).
"Radical sustainability
Completed in 2008, the rectilinear home features a roofline with a dramatic parabolic curve that creates two bulbous volumes inside the home, one of which houses a curved skylit shower.
At $167 per square foot, this high-design, low-cost barn in rural Wisconsin is an American idyll.
Located in the Belgian suburb of Marke, the preserved 1963 abode—built by Brutalist architect Juliaan Lampens—sits almost concealed from view, enclosed by a curved, hedge-lined garden.
Of the home’s rustic feel, Ben (here with the family dog, Hawkeye) says, “I grew up in Maine, and I wanted the cabin to feel like a camp.”
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.
While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”
The piston-operated pine sunshades lift upwards to protect the exterior deck and give residents the ability to manually modulate the home’s access to daylight and shade as the sun moves across the sky.
The wet room connects to two half-baths on either side that are equipped with dual-flush toilets and WaterSense fixtures. Gray porcelain tiles from Statements Tiles line the room.
The shared wet room features a Boyce freestanding tub by Signature Hardware with west-facing views of the forest.
Completed in 2018 on a 2.6-acre site in the San Juan Islands, the two-bedroom modular home was installed in a day.
From the living area, a winding staircase leads to the second level with an additional living space and two guest rooms.
A view from the kitchen out toward the living area provides a sense of the lofted interior.
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