Favorites

“The original backyard was huge and was basically leftover, empty space,” says architect Miguel Rivera. “We reimagined the entire site as a series of interconnected indoor and outdoor spaces—essentially solids and voids that take advantage of the entire site. This approach is much more common in the more compact cities of Europe and Latin America—where my partner, Juan Miró, and I come from—than the typical American suburban single-family house.”

Floor plan of Hillside Contemporary by Biegner-Murff Architects

Bellow House Floor Plan

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.

St. Lucia Klooster floor plan

The couple refinished the original Fir floors, and planed and sanded down the original moldings and white-washed them. They painted the original fireplace with black matte paint and stenciled a contrasting glossy pattern on the tile. Jason designed and built the coffee table, and the walnut console, which has laser-cut perforated doors. (There’s an inset, upholstered seat for sitting when donning shoes that the cat loves to sleep in.)

Three elements of the extension were built off-site: the exterior and structural concrete, which includes patterned brickwork, the nonstructural concrete elements (like the kitchen counter and bath), and the balustrade. An arch motif ties together the renovation.

The renovation introduced a new deck, and opened up the living and kitchen areas. “The home is ‘so Warrandyte,’” says builder Hamish White. “It has a great connection with the outdoors, views of trees from most windows, and a homely and familiar feel which makes it really comfortable to be in.”

With its emphasis on the outdoors, the petite shelter in Normandy offers room to roam.

To turn a home into a permanent residence for a family of four, Rama Estudio attached a prefab glass-and-steel box that extends into the surrounding wilderness.

When architects Thomas Karsten and Alexandra Erhard toured the raw industrial space, they were struck by how much light streamed in, a gift bestowed by large windows and the rare presence of a private patio.