The great room of this Brentwood, California, guesthouse showcases jaw-dropping views of the surrounding tree canopy. The entire 40-foot span of the Connect 2 is turned into a wall of glass, an architectural maneuver made possible by the high-strength steel perimeter frame built into all Connect Homes.
The ground pool level of the house features a game room, entertaining area, wet bar, and gym for the young family of five.
Kolbe Windows & Doors began in 1946 as a two-brother team based in Wisconsin. Today, it is one of the nation’s leading window and door manufacturers known for superior quality, custom craftsmanship, attention to detail, as well as innovative and unique designs.
An internal window creates a visual connection between the living area and the dining room, and also allows the wood-burning fireplace to easily heat the whole space.
Custom metal shelves display books. The flooring throughout is white oak, and its color syncs nicely with the tones in the brick—inside and out.
“If we were questioning the hospitality of these pods, or the toughness of them, a three year old boy will test the toughness of anything,” laughs Mark.
The couple splashed out on KitchenAid appliance, but stainless steel countertops in the kitchen “look fancy but were cheaper than quartz,” says Mark.
Sometimes all it takes is a little luck. For a young married couple, it came in the form of this rare find: a 19th-century, three-story, single-family home in the heart of Paris. The building was a charmer with good bones, but was in need of some serious care. In a vibrant retrofit by architect Pierre-Louis Gerlier that includes structural reinforcements, the reimagined design is set off with a new floor plan. The lower level now serves as a space for the couple’s children, with the public areas—including an open-plan living/dining room and kitchen—on the floor above. Upstairs, the attic has been transformed into a very large primary bedroom with a green-and-white bathroom suite. The living room (pictured) showcases the firm’s bespoke carpentry work with a beautiful, mossy-green built-in bookcase that frames a new fireplace, and a staircase surrounded by arched doorways that hold hidden storage. “We created visual breakthroughs in order to connect the different spaces,” says Gerlier. “The rounded arches are there to help magnify these moments.”
Curved ceilings create a cozy feel, but wall-height windows throughout the L-shaped plan keep the home connected to its courtyard.
The existing sitting room facing the street has been transformed into an office to allow for the hybrid working from home. This use of the street-facing space evokes a historical set-up with workshops on the ground floor and living accommodation above.
“I create spaces for nature therapy. Sensory gardens. You can’t do that with a lawn,” says Williams, who is passionately pro-pollinator. She is on a mission to attract bees, butterflies, and birds into our gardens, as well as a sense of wonder—something you don’t get with a monoculture lawn.
The wood stove heats the cabin efficiently in winter. The seating nook beside it doubles as wood storage.
Earth-toned laminate covers the kitchen niche and shelving for durability. There’s a gas stove and refrigerator, and no running water. “The staff bring you a bottle of water and it's a pump faucet at the sink,” explains St-Laurent.
Bathroom
Bathroom
Heath tiles were used in the primary bathroom, and unlacquered brass fixtures from Watermark continue the theme.
"The combined efforts of the design-educated clients and architectural design professionals resulted in an organized layout and cohesive material palette that enhances, rather than erases, the existing character of the home,
The built-in plywood bunks in the children’s room were designed by STEG.
After: By knocking down a wall, they opened up the kitchen to the living room to create one great room, ideal for entertaining.
A highlight of the overhaul is the floor-to-ceiling glass on the north side, which includes a five-panel bifold door. The door opens to the couple’s favorite area of the house, the backyard. The deck is shaded by the cantilevered roof, and Ren planted drought-resistant brush amid the existing oak trees.
The ground floor of the home features wide spaces that open out to greenery. “You don’t need walls everywhere to make the house feel big,” explains Eduardo Ugalde from All Arquitectura. “By creating a large garden on the site that is open to the sky, you create a feeling of spaciousness.”
Floor Plan of Guest Cottage by Urbanology Designs
Curtis completely overhauled the shelving, changing the shapes of the niches and covering them in micro-cement.
Large format, 12-inch white oak floors help highlight and dramatize the scale of the apartment. “At the width we selected, you see such a beautiful grain expression,” says architect Max Worrell.
The custom cabinetry for the bathroom is made of laminated pine board with a water-base finish that's resistant to color change and similar to what you see in the rest of the house as we wanted to create a consistent story,
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