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Artwork by Octavia Tomyn adorns the living room, where Huggy faux-shearling chairs flank a Chub coffee table, both designed by Sarah Ellison. A neutral rug from Nikau ties the pieces together. The artwork is by Octavia Tomyn.

A built-in counter by the kitchen acts as a workspace.

A well-organized entryway leads to a living room that opens to gardens on two sides.

The kitchen and dining space lead to a sunken lounge anchored by a fireplace built with stone from Sydney-based provider Eco Outdoor. Art by Bobby Clark hangs above a sofa from HK Living accented with pillows from Città Design. The rugs are from Armadillo & Co.

Luisa sits at an inflection point in the plan, which connects four modules—one for each family member plus one for the common areas—in zigzag fashion down a sloping site.

The kitchen features radiant-heated bluestone floors and a quartzite backsplash.

The Hideout lives on the same five-acre property as another guesthouse Castillero owns, The Woodlands.

“I envision people writing their books, music, refuelling their creative flow,” says Castillero. He should know about its energizing power more than anyone, really: it brought him back to his love of architecture, after all. “It’s truly my new happy place.”

Upon relocating to the Methow Valley, a family finds their compact cabin to be a little too cozy—so they roll up their sleeves and break ground.

A subtly curved staircase leads from the neutral-hued living room to the kitchen.

A bed in the studio provides a place for guests to sleep. The plywood floor is painted white.

The studio’s dramatic ceiling is nearly 14-feet high. Thomas says that the yoga deck sits in the landscape “like a wooden lake.”

The board-formed concrete retaining wall holds firewood and is also a bench. Beyond, the garden lounge backs up against the studio and a retaining wall. “It’s a study in how little you can do to define a space,” Thomas says.

The wood planks run vertically on the walls to echo the direction that trees grow, while the board-formed concrete fireplace wall runs horizontally because that is how one pours the concrete. “It’s another play of contrasts,” Thomas points out. He bought the net from a local fisherman.

The ceiling drops down significantly over the built-in bench in the living area to create a cozy nook. “Like the kitchen, it’s a space within a space,” Thomas says. The wooden boards are flush with the window frame, allowing the sun to wash down the wall.

A local welder crafted the house number which is mounted off the wall to cast a shadow. “It also looks like ‘god’ which means ‘good’ in Danish, so it’s also ‘the good house,’” Thomas says.