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The 4,843-square-foot Three Generation House by BETA Office for Architecture and the City is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

A diagram of Spacecube's Adaptable Living series, which breaks down into a series of small 20-square-meter boxes that can be collated and expanded in myriad configurations.

A bedroom skylight allows residents to sleep beneath the stars.

The Breathe + Spacecube project fits a small kitchen, seating area and bedroom into one unexpanded Spacecube Adaptable Living unit.

The living room opens to a terrace made of four slabs of black concrete separated by rows of woolly thyme. A fire pit designed by Jørgensen’s firm and Adirondack chairs from Erin Martin Design provide an ideal setting for taking in the scenery, especially at night. “Strangely, the view here really didn’t change a lot,” says Buttons. “The fire came up behind us, jumped around, and spared a lot of the surroundings. I can’t imagine finding another place like it.”

The wedge-shaped shower in the primary bathroom glimmers with sunlight from a full-height window. The tiles are from SomerTile, and the fixtures are from Grohe.

The team leveled the floors and brought the stairs up to code. A NextGen-Fyre wood stove by Lopi feels much more appropriate for the room’s proportions.

White-painted cabinetry and white mosaic wall and floor tile create a fresh aesthetic for the bathroom.

Anna and Thanh kept the already renovated kitchen, which is open to the high-ceilinged living/dining area. Places to display books and artwork, as well as spaces to work and entertain, were all essential for the couple. “This is our first house, and buying property in New York is a serious deal,” says Thanh. “It had to have some things that would, aesthetically and functionally, make it livable for the long term.”

The team designed a 200-square-foot dwelling—the maximum interior living space on the brief—that balances private and shared gathering areas for their extroverted, art-loving client. “We created separate living and sleeping areas by offsetting the plan elements in hopes of fostering a greater sense of privacy with multiple rooms,” says Jamie Chioco, the firm’s founding principal.

La Invernada floor plan

Now, a Sedona Straight Arm Sconce from the Lucent Light Shop illuminates the Enter Mirror from Ferm Living, and the Coyuchi Rippled Stripe Organic Shower Curtain lines the bathtub.

The streamlined shape of the home kept slab, framing, and roofing costs down, Pavonetti explains. A barn red shade on the front door adds a touch of farmhouse whimsy to the modern structure.

A look inside the larger of the two bedrooms. The leftmost door opens up to a wraparound outdoor balcony, while the door to the right conceals the washer/dryer unit.

The design couple: Mike Donahue is a junior architect pursuing licensure. Lauren Walker is a self-taught artist and designer.

The breakfast bar from the original home was given a modern refresh. The existing stools were refinished and paired with concrete countertops. Designer pendant lights hang from above.

Light-toned ceramic tile stacked vertically and white quartz counters are a neutral counterpoint to the pops of chartreuse in the cabinetry. Lin interspersed the closed cabinetry with sections of String shelving, from a Scandinavian modular system originally designed by Nisse and Kajsa Strinning in 1949.