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The double-height wall of windows in the living room looks out on the property and was a big draw on their first walk-through.

Nestled in a forested spot in Oakland Hills, this house—victim to a tragic fire in 2017—was rebuilt as a bright, serene retreat. At first, the homeowner wasn't sure if she wanted to keep the ruined house or sell, but ultimately her love for the property won out and she stayed.

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Shiplap and a poured concrete slab conceal the remnants of the previous fireplace and create the backdrop for a modern Scandinavian cast iron fireplace fueled by propane and controlled by a Nest thermostat. Built-in birch plywood shelving and seating with concealed LED lighting support a curated vinyl collection, Sonos speakers, and the full set of Modernist Cuisine cookbooks.

Maximizing a 280-square-foot plot, House Tokyo by Unemori Architects makes clever use of ceiling heights and half levels.

A large deck extends from the front of the home as well.

The living room has views of the veranda and kitchen through sliding glass doors.

To accommodate a young family leaving New York City, design firm Stewart-Schafer revamped the kitchen and living areas of an outdated upstate home in just three months.

These projects cleverly address issues ranging from affordable housing to building sustainably in the face of climate change.

The piston-operated pine sunshades lift upwards to protect the exterior deck and give residents the ability to manually modulate the home’s access to daylight and shade as the sun moves across the sky.

"In some ways the strongest attributes of the house are probably the outside spaces,” says Court. The original cedar deck was replaced with Kebony decking that wraps around a century-old cherry tree. A pair of Andy rockers from Mamagreen face an ottoman by Kenneth Cobonpue. The accordion doors are a NanaWall SL-60 system that allows the main room of the guesthouse to open completely to the deck.