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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.

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.”

In the main living area, full-height glass panes fully retract back, creating instant and intimate indoor-outdoor connection.

“During summer there is so much greenery, and it grows and changes every day. It’s very different in the autumn and winter—even the acoustics are different,

This Cupertino home features a conversation pit outfitted with a 250-square-foot configuration of Patricia Urquiola’s Tufty-Time sofa for B&B Italia. Overhead, flush-mounted LED strips demarcate the lounge area. - Cupertino, California Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

A Room & Board record console behind the couch is mixed with a vintage mushroom lamp and Flos Arco Floor Lamp.

- Buenos Aires, Argentina Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

The roof is clad in natural cedar with a copper trim.

Woods & Water northwest view

Furniture designer Tom Deacon teamed up with pal and architect Andrew Jones to renovate his Toronto townhouse. “Architects tend to think of the building first, the interiors second, and last, the furniture. Our approach was the opposite,” Jones says.

The existing Ikea cabinet boxes received new Semihandmade fronts: the DIY Flat Slab painted Benjamin Moore's “Revere Pewter.” The butcher block was replaced with a Ceaserstone Empira White slab, and the wood shelves were preserved, though received new brass brackets. The brass hardware is from Rejuvenation and the pendant is the Pirlo from Tech Lighting. The new zellige tile is from Riad, in the Natural White color.

Nero Marquina herringbone stone tile gives the guest bathroom a sense of weight while the ceiling, covered in reflective black acrylic, makes the small space feel infinite. The medicine cabinet is from Ikea.

“It takes a particular type of person to want to live here because it is slightly isolated from the city,” says Anna. “But that also invites a lot of creative possibilities.”

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.”

Composition

"The composite structure is extraordinarily durable,

Two of the home's three levels rise from the site's original garden wall, presenting an impressive elevation from the street.