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The rooms hidden behind the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves give the studio a whimsical quality.

The cedar cladding was inspired by the towering mature oaks on the property.

The NanaWall doors on the corners of the front facade fold open, joining the interior and the wooded landscape.

Large paver patios make excellent walkways.

Another water-saving project in Menlo Park includes a rock bed with succulents.

Garden

The single main room features ample glazing to provide natural light for cultivation of artistic endeavors. In the words of Witt, the “studio is the anchor for the backyard."

Exposed Douglas fir is usually prohibitively expensive in larger projects but was far more economical in this case: First Lamp could stain the wood themselves in one afternoon, obviating the need for subcontractors. Another small but impactful detail was the tapering cut of the rafters which gives the studio a more dramatic profile.

The studio occupies the corner of a backyard filled with carefully-tended plants. They positioned the studio at the yard’s far corner, diagonal from the main house’s back door, to create a path through the garden that would engage visitors in landscape.

With input from her clients, Barensfeld used a computer to generate the circular patterns that were carved into a pair of Cor-Ten steel screens with a water-jet cutter. The perforations allow light and the green of the surrounding Koi bamboo to filter into the space while preserving privacy.

Architect Beverly Choe was “inspired by the infinite capacities of light” as she transformed a small, dark garage in San Francisco into a bright, skylit studio.

Since Portland is at roughly the same latitude as Sapporo, Japan, Howells was inspired by minimalist Japanese gardens. All of the wood used in the space, including the furniture, is designed to weather to a silver-gray shade over time.

When the Ferguson Sauder family—parents Meg, a school counselor, and Tim, a design instructor, plus kids Cole, Olive, and Asher—wanted a multifunctional backyard addition, they decided to build it themselves. Two Liftoff chairs by Tim Miller, one of Tim’s former students, surround an oil-drum fire pit set in granite dug up on the property. On the deck, the Panamericana chair is by Industry of All Nations.

Underneath the fire pit, sits a french drainage system. The custom bbq area mimics design elements located in the home.

The guest bathroom.