Green

A polychrome facade made of salvaged, 100-year-old barnwood gives this small, lofted cottage space its unique character. Its copper roof is also reclaimed, a lucky Craigslist find from a local remodel. Though the structure has a footprint of just 11' x 14', it provides a useful space to entertain, catch up on work, or relax.

A wood-lined outdoor shower adds a modern touch to one of the decks.

Ryan Anderson of RAD Furniture designed the stools as well as the table and benches on the pool deck.

A shot at dusk shows off the garage door’s perfect mix of in and out for entertaining purposes.

"Light colors make [your space] feel more spacious and airy," says Macy Miller. Miller's compact home in Boise, Idaho, built for only $11,000, is featured in our September issue.

In its closed position, the piece looks like a storage unit. A door on wheels slides open to reveal a kitchen inside.

The Box Kitchen contains two burners, a ventilation hood, a sink, a dishwasher, and a microwave. A fold-down laminated countertop creates a prep surface.

Little Box on the Prairie is a 700-square-foot house made from two recycled shipping containers. It’s situated on 10-acres of rolling prairie, just north of Livingston Montana, and blends rustic coziness with clean, modern design. Many of the finishes, such as the redwood flooring and plywood wall panels, were salvaged off-site, recycled, and reused. The outside deck is perfect for chatting over morning coffee, enjoying an evening glass of wine, or gazing at the Absaroka Mountains while deer or antelope pass by. The house comfortably sleeps two, and a third can sleep on the sofa if needed.

Green roofs are aesthetically pleasing and have multiple positive environmental benefits, even if they are small in terms of square footage. Here, a green roof blooms atop the detached garage of a home.

One of the main goals of the construction was to do as little harm as possible to the existing environment, which includes waterways that salmon depend upon. Herrin and his team created a garden roof that covers the full extent of the home to meet this objective. “This helps control storm water runoff and also replaces lost insect habitat—insects being a critical food source for juvenile salmon,” he says.

Landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand helped fill out the completed prefab by planting sedge grass on one of the house’s two green roofs to reflect the texture of the surrounding meadow.

A view of the house from the front. Photo by Ken Pagliaro Photography.

Large sliding glass doors suspend the living room within the landscape for family gatherings or larger events.

The relationship between interior and exterior becomes crucial in the articulation of the residence.

Covered with wire mesh, the green roof will continue to vegetate over time.