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The gabled roof extends to the timber deck and is covered in natural slate tiles.

The home is clad in black-stained rough sawn cedar that has been sourced from Éco-Cèdre.

Architect Georg van Gass adds a delicately poised cantilevered exterior wall that appears to slice the deck in half. Photo by: Elsa Young

The Outward Bound cabins, designed by the University of Colorado Denver's design-build program, have steel frames that lift the structures above a three-foot snowpack while supporting corrugated-steel "snow roofs."

Tree Hotel in Sweden is known for its array of unique dwellings from their Bird’s Nest to the UFO, all of which are suspended above ground. Husband-and-wife owners Britta Jonsson Lindvall and Kent Lindvall enlisted several different designers to develop their contemporary tree house community, which has garnered international interest. One of the most iconic of their dwellings is the 13' by 13' Mirrorcube made of reflective glass, straddling the trunk of a pine. From the outside, it appears as if there’s nothing there at all, while inside, warm interiors are swathed in light plywood with three windows, a sky light, and balcony hidden behind the mirror facade—which means you can step outside the box without being seen.

Occupying a small site in a backyard in Portland, this timber-clad ADU guesthouse is a study in making the most of a small footprint. Designed by local practice Webster Wilson Architect and with bright, clean interiors by Pine Street Design, it’s located en route to Laurelhurst Park, making it an ideal base for exploring Portland’s many vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods. There’s also plenty of at-home entertaining space, including a private deck adorned with fairy lights at the rear, and an outdoor shower to enjoy in the warmer weather.

1456 Sunset Plaza Drive, just a few turns up from Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. The front facade is dominated by a double carport, which Neutra designed with floor-to-ceiling glass along two sides facing the interior.

Almost everything about Bob Butler’s Nashville home is unexpected. Its sunken living room, open beams, and carport hark back to the 1950s, yet it’s barely more than a year old. The breezy, rectilinear residence transports visitors to midcentury Hollywood Hills or Palm Springs, though it’s located in a city known for Craftsman bungalows and the rococo mansions of country stars. Most surprising of all, Bob designed and built it himself, with only a few years experience under his belt and no formal training, and on a budget that would get the attention of many area residents: $115 per square foot.

A pared-down cabin on Eleuthera island was designed as an off-the-grid retreat for Mark and Kate Ingraham and their daughter. Envisioning "a simple box resting lightly on the land,

Almost everything about Bob Butler’s Nashville home is unexpected. Its sunken living room, open beams, and carport hark back to the 1950s, yet it’s barely more than a year old. The breezy, rectilinear residence transports visitors to midcentury Hollywood Hills or Palm Springs, though it’s located in a city known for Craftsman bungalows and the rococo mansions of country stars. Most surprising of all, Bob designed and built it himself, with only a few years experience under his belt and no formal training, and on a budget that would get the attention of many area residents: $115 per square foot.

Keiko and Takuhiro Shinomoto have filled their Southern California home with furniture by Taku and pieces by some of the artists and craftspeople whose work they also showcase at their Tortoise General Store shops and showroom. The couple worked with architectural designer Ken Tanaka to remodel the house, once a cramped, two-bedroom rental. A sofa and tables by Taku join Jasper Morrison’s Three Sofa De Luxe sofa for Cappellini. The sliders are by Western Window Systems.

Not everyone has a credibility bookcase. Your kids’ discarded toys and jackets may be strewn on the floor, or your roommate is in the throes of an online boxing class. Perhaps your cat is licking its unmentionables, and it’s not quite the scene you want to set for your one-on-one. Luckily, Zoom makes it easy to manifest the environment we want if the environment we have isn’t ideal. If you’ve ever wanted to dial in from a Dwell house, now’s your chance.

She used cedar planks from Lowe's and stained them to match the vanity and other wood elements in the room. “We sealed the cedar planks with tung oil, and after a year it's held up wonderfully against water seepage,” says Bertolini

The sleek black kitchen is fitted with oak timber floors and brass accents to infuse additional sophistication into the space.