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Emily designed the floating vanity and had it painted in Benjamin Moore 'Baked Terra Cotta,' with a Duravit sink top.

Alicia Freska paid to redo the space with fresh cabinetry, appliances, and flooring, while her landlord shored up the structure.

The original layout was very much of the time: a perfect midcentury modern flow, with a closed-off kitchen and a fire put in the floor. “They were cool but impractical spaces,” says Schaer.

The custom Bulthaup kitchen is outfitted with Gaggenau appliances and Caesarstone countertops.

Conveniently located in their backyard, the office allows the couple to run their practice while staying close to their kids.

Architect Sven Matt mixed basic shapes with rich details in this Austrian home. The lattice shell was hewn from silver fir sourced from a nearby forest. Eternit shingles clad the roof.

Iniö has a high-ceilinged terrace, and is fitted with generous floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and dining area that bring in plenty of natural light.

Floor Plan

Purcell Timber Frame Homes is, as they say, a product of their environment: the beautiful Kootenay mountains of Nelson, British Columbia. They've developed a strong relationship with the local forests, and build prefabricated, packaged, and fully-customized homes in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada as well as several states in the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon. Their homes feature natural timber frames, and their catalogue collection includes bungalows, beach houses, ski chalets, cabins, and cottages that are designed to perform with the elements and be low-maintenance.

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.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”