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“We love how spacious and light it feels with the high ceilings, and the wood makes it feel warm and welcoming,” say the clients, Fran and Dave.

The garden steps up steeply to the rear of the site, and the window sill in the living room and DJ booth are close to ground level. “When you’re sitting in the living area, it feels like the garden is flowing into the interior,” says architect Simon Knight.

The Anza Airstream was designed to feel more open than other trailers, with little upper cabinetry.

Jennifer and Kenard Bunkley braved resident wildlife and the soaring cost of plywood as they demolished and rbuilt their vacation home in upstate New York.

Unsure of how to light under the loft, Monica turned to a friend from the gym who works in lighting design. He helped her with the design, the installation, and even gifted her materials.

The pantry lines the wall to the right.

That’s how Milla Novo and her husband, Nigel Nowotarski, came to live in the top of what was once a chapel. As you step into their apartment, large arched windows hint at its ecclesiastical past, but the couple’s eye-catching textiles and artworks—set against pristine white walls—make the biggest impression.

Floor plan of Farouki Residence by Farouki Farouki

The breezeway between the main cabin and the summer porch acts as a third living space in the summer and on mild spring and fall days, linking the separate structures. “The walls slanting over the breezeway create an implied arch between the cabin and the summer porch, lending a sense of intimacy to the heart of the house,” says Diane.

The solar photovoltaic rooftop panels draw 12 kilowatts of electricity. The prefabricated cross-laminated timber structure is insulated by 17-inch walls, and the deck outside the master bedroom is bordered with sedum.

To avoid excavating the land, Pang and Boyle designed a structural platform to keep the cabin level.

After a wildfire ripped through Jeff Waldman and Molly Fiffer’s 10-acre retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains in August of 2020, the couple was determined to build a new home. They were hesitant about investing too much money, though, as they knew that California was only getting drier and more prone to fires.

"The owner wanted the front door to match the same yellow of Caterpillar, the heavy machinery company,