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The home has a mansard roof with shakes and real hardwood tongue and groove siding. “I liked the idea of making this ugly duckling into something with character versus landing a modern spaceship house in an old neighborhood dominated by vinyl homes,” architect/homeowner Caleb Johnson says.

The living room's wall of windows makes it easy to look out onto the desert. Julie wanted to keep the interior design minimal in order to focus on the setting.

A floor plan shows the bathroom—complete with shower, sink, and flushing toilet—tucked into a corner near the entry.

A small kitchenette comes complete with a cook top and oven. White oak wood flooring is used throughout, as a standard feature.

Since the photo shoot, the couple have placed a desk in the triangular window nook and use the perch as a workspace. “There’s just something about it that hugs you,” says Shelley. “I feel very focused and relaxed when I’m here.”

Located off paved roads, across a river, and up a mountain, Pablo Pérez Palacios’s cabin in the Mexican wilderness has a rooftop terrace designed for entertaining.

A creek-side sauna and hot tub round out the amenities at Snow.

Architect Bundit Kanisthakhon set the structure above ground as a precaution against flooding. At the Davises’ request, he ensured that the house can be disassembled for easy relocation.

The wet bar features a backsplash covered with copper-colored glass tile. The lower cabinets are shou sugi ban–treated red oak, and the open shelves are made of white oak.

The suburban backyard garage in Hertfordshire, England, that architect Olli Andrew of Hyper converted into a work studio is wrapped in charred larch wood pieces that give the impression of scales and foster biodiversity, providing a place for insects to nestle.

"White walls aren't the only answer to a spacious feeling,