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Hilary Severson and her sons play outside their home, designed by architect Solomon Berg. Set amid mature maples on three acres south of Portland, Oregon, the house has a gabled, standing-seam metal roof and rough-sawn and smooth cedar siding.

While much of the non-water-facing side of the main house includes few windows, the living room acts as a glowing beacon.

A splash of dark green paint in the sleeping nook introduces an old world drama to the space. The paint color is Billiard Green from Sherwin Williams. The crochet pendant is from World Market, and the brass bull was an eBay find. The couple's dog Waylon lounges in the pull-out dog bed drawer.

Thompson, a founding principal of Assembledge+, had recently participated in a Los Angeles Magazine project to imagine solutions for those who lack housing in the city. Their notion was for public agencies to subsidize building ADUs in backyards along alleyways, dovetailing with existing alley revitalization initiatives

In their query letter, Ben and Sarah were clear that they wanted a home that could accommodate all of life’s messes. “We don't want a white display kitchen that only looks good when it's clean and not in use. We want our kitchen to be able to work hard. We love to cook and when we do, there are usually lots of things on the go and a mess being made.”

Floor Plan of Palms Residence by Olson Kundig