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The guestroom on the first storey, with a small walk-in wardrobe.

Just past the upstairs landing, there’s an open space with a tatami mat beneath the lofted office nook where Tsuyoshi, a systems engineer, works from home a few days a week. Both receive lots of light from the central skylight. A hallway below Tsuyoshi’s workspace leads to the family’s shared sleeping area, which has a small window.

Nate Kantor and Garrett Foster Green stand in front of Anza, the 1968 Airstream camper they renovated.

Matthew built the soaking tub from yellow Alaskan cedar. “There’s no finish on it, so every time the water hits it, you get this burst of cedar aroma,” says Matthew. Adds Holly: “It smells amazing.”

The new steel structure was also shown in places, like the open tread staircase, to nod to the home’s industrial past. The designers curved the wall across from the stairs and painted it ‘Dirty Martini’ by Clare Paint: “I love the juxtaposition of the softness of that curve mixed with the industrial steel,” says Bordelon.

A long maple butcher block forming a kitchen counter and work surface replaced one of the trailer’s two twin beds.

The hand-built ruggedness of the earthship complements the scruffy, rock-strewn terrain of the mesa. The skylights are operable and, when open, pull warm air out, working in concert with the huge thermal mass built into the earthship to provide passive HVAC.

"We wanted to keep the exterior walls uncluttered, so you can focus on the views, the light, and the air," says Rosa Garneau, the owner of a 650-square-foot co-op in New York's Chelsea neighborhood. To achieve a clean look, everything gets tucked away, including the mattress and bedding. When looking for the best Murphy bed, look for one that can accommodate basic bedding without having to remove and store it daily.

The 34-foot-long Airstream Excella was gutted and renovated by Innovative Spaces in Santa Barbara, California.

The 27-foot retro trailer needed work done on both the interior and exterior.

The Anza Airstream was designed to feel more open than other trailers, with little upper cabinetry.

Now a good example of the natural lines favored in ’70s aesthetics, Arcturus and the other homes Rick would build in the area were unique at the time. “I freaked out some of the neighbors intially,” he says, “who were not so comfortable with a bunch of, you know, pot-smoking hippies.”

“We chose to site the buildings as far back from the road as possible, approximately 800-feet from the private section of Awalau Road,” says Thomas.

Rather than include the bathroom in the trailer, the family decided to set it in an outhouse, giving them more living space in the Airstream.