DARO HOUSE

Inspired by the small scale of Japanese residences—in particular, Makoto Masuzawa’s 1952 Minimum House—architect Andrew Simpson designed his own economical 538-square-foot home set into a wooded site in Island Bay, a coastal suburb outside Wellington, New Zealand.

A custom table surrounded by NET’s Museo chairs and poplar stools provides a space for the Sarmiento Tovo boys, Manuel, 5, and Julián, 3, to play with the toys their mother makes.

A series of long stairs leads to Maison Amtrak, which is set below street level. The entranceway demonstrates Cohen’s love of Japanese design with a geometric simplicity matched only by the formal elegance of the stained Douglas fir two-by-fours.

Tasked with transforming a 93-square-foot brick boiler room into a guesthouse, architect and metalworker Christi Azevedo flexed her creative muscle. The architect spent a year and a half designing and fabricating nearly everything in the structure save for the original brick walls. "I treated the interior like a custom piece of furniture," she says.

Though the front of this 1880s home in Adelaide, Australia, maintains a traditional facade due to strict heritage laws, the rear is modern eye candy at its best. See more of the home.

Three thin slabs have been staggered vertically through the space to create three distinct floors and allow light to flood in from the front, back, and roof. The white Saari kitchen makes the most of a compact space.

Bernstein specified sequenced walnut veneers in the kitchen and dining area and counters from Caesarstone. The Chrysalis bar stool is by One & Co for Council. A Foscarini pendant hangs above Ligne Roset’s Eaton table and bench.

To reinforce a streamlined aesthetic, materials move from the inside out and from room to room. A Caesarstone countertop in the kitchen extends through a window to the backyard. The basalt path in the house continues outside and up the outdoor stairs.

Ultramar is the largest apartment in the building with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The original wooden beams were left exposed and painted white, and the skylights were restored to allow for natural light.

The steps lead to a roof deck, where the owners can enjoy sweeping views of the ocean.

Its timber shiplap cladding tops a concrete blockwork base. Kate uses the main floor as an art studio, where light through a custom skylight illuminates her work space (l

When an existing living room was transformed into a master suite, Nest tapped Mason Cabinets to create a bespoke dressing area.

On the back facade, cement render and black-painted steel update the existing terra-cotta roof tiles. Custom glass doors fabricated by TCM Building Group open onto the garden, where a stone path leads to a new building housing Kate’s studio and Tom’s wine cellar.

The house is located on a tight site surrounded by a brick wall.

Using lami­nates trimmed in Victorian ash for the island cut costs. The white cabinets hide the refrigerator <span style=

The landscape designer Garrett Eckbo created this garden in his backyard at the behest of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). Eckbo used large quanitites of aluminum—in screens, trellises, and a centerpiece fountain—and ALCOA's advertising agency used photos of the "ALCOA Forecast Garden" to promote peacetime uses for the material. Photo courtesy of the Julius Sherman Photography Archive, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles.

Connect 5 House Floor Plan: A Kitchen / B Dining Room / C Living Room / D Master Bedroom / E Bathroom / F Bedroom / G Utility Room / H Deck.

David Rowland stacking chairs join a 1970s Italian glass-and-steel table in the dining room. The daughter loves being able to stop in to visit. “I’m over there ten times a day. It’s brought me such peace.”

The deck offers views and a quiet spot for outdoor dining. The Western red cedar vertical siding is naturally resistant to rot and decay, making it a hardy choice for the exterior. The bronze wolf sculpture is by Sharon Loper.