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The design team updated the staircase with a shade of blue that echoes the heirloom cabinet (seen against the wall). The color is "Polaris Blue

Floor plan of Casa Narra by NODO Arquitectura + Naturaleza

The rock outcropping in the backyard of this house in Victoria, British Columbia influenced the design scheme of the home's addition. To visually integrate the form, architect Bruce Greenway took shorn-off pieces of rock and constructed a curving wall that extends into the house.

The open floor plan creates perfect corridors for Madeline and Leonard to run the length of the house.

Dining, view south over looking the boulders below

Large sliding doors connect the kitchen to the outdoor area.

Floor plan of Hyde Park Residence by Scott Parks Studio

Architect Mark Johnson has long been inspired by the texture produced by traditional Indigenous canoe carving. The design team worked with Jim Barker at British Columbia woodworking studio Barker Manufacturing, to produce Ken and Joan’s cedar door. Its texture was produced using a CNC adze.

New white oak stairs connect the upper and lower floors. The homeowner wanted the downstairs apartment for visits from her daughter and young grandchildren, who live in California. La Cantina sliding doors provide easy access to the backyard.

Sitting jauntily on its block, this renovated residence in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood retained the original home’s footprint. The architect (and daughter of the homeowner) opened up the living spaces inside and overhauled the exterior and landscaping to give it a more contemporary presence. Cambium Landscape created the outdoor spaces which perfectly balance hardscape with greenery.

The home’s modest size meant Caleb did not have to worry too much about material and labor costs. For example, all the interior walls are done in plaster, which is three-to-four times more expensive than drywall in Maine.

A floor lamp nearly eight feet tall anchors the seating area in the living area. Ceilings that are 12 feet tall at the highest point help the room feel expansive. “We needed to find a way to define different areas in a relatively tight space,” Lachapelle says. It’s the clients’ first experience with an open floor plan. “We raised our kids in an old Victorian, and the farmhouse we live in now is chopped up into tiny rooms save for the studio we just added,” the husband says.

DeNiord designed a simple concrete bench with a honed top to run parallel to the randomly sized concrete pads that lead to the covered entry. He planted blueberry bushes behind the bench and a river birch tree behind the boulder. To conjure a wabi-sabi feel outdoors, diNiord poured concrete around a boulder. “It represents the interruption of perfect geometry,” he says.

A family room off the kitchen is stocked with pieces from Room & Board, including the Wells sofa and gray Cable rug. The hanging sculpture is by Rebecca Niederlander and the quartet of paintings is by Babak Emanuel.

The dining room is anchored by a marble table and custom chairs in a fabric matching that of the living room sofa.