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“I envision people writing their books, music, refuelling their creative flow,” says Castillero. He should know about its energizing power more than anyone, really: it brought him back to his love of architecture, after all. “It’s truly my new happy place.”

Just outside the studio, Ground Studio Landscape Architecture created a natural courtyard with a meadow and an edgeless pool that mimics a pond.

Heather and Brad live in the home with their two sons, 12-year-old Graham and 10-year-old Wes. The exterior is defined by a striking black scheme that conceals the more playful interior—which is hinted at by the pink and white midcentury-style pool furniture. The minimalist ebony window frames—from the Marvin Essential collection—blend into the ebony facade to create the appearance of a wall of glass. “We love our dark exterior and how well our windows blend into it,” explains Heather. “When looking at the house from the back, it looks so seamless.”

Left: The three Apollo 11 astronauts are transferred from a U.S. Navy helicopter to a mobile quarantine facility in a converted Airstream trailer in 1969. Right: The crew of Apollo 11 in quarantine after returning to Earth, visited by President Nixon in 1969.

Penny tiles in two colors cover the walls in the wet room on the second floor where wall-mounted plumbing fixtures preserve countertop space atop the solid brass sink.

The clients—a family of five with three children in college—wanted to create an “urban cabin” that embraces the tranquil forested site on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. The solution was to use vast expanses of glass to dissolve the boundaries between inside and out.

House in Chilean Forest by Lucas Maino view of inner courtyard

House in Chilean Forest by Lucas Maino aerial view

A result of a small gap between appliances, the Vertical Bar Block has since become a signature example of how Henrybuilt systems are architecturally integrated to maximize every bit of usable space.

The design of the Ridge House was intended "to emphasize a feeling of refined shack

One of the boathouse's two bedrooms can accommodate up to four adults or children, thanks to a quartet of bunk beds beside a wall of glass.

The main living-dining area look on the lake side, above the boat dock and railings, with room for a small outdoor deck. The sliding glass doors also help naturally ventilate the space.

In the kitchen, an 11-foot island is topped with Carrara marble and lined with Molar Stools from Blackman Cruz. All of the casework was done by Pacassa Studios.

The living room’s showpiece is a Zircon stove by Malm; its flue snakes 25 feet to the ceiling. “We really wanted the fireplace to be the anchor within this large space,” says Raj. A rust velvet Lenyx sofa from CB2 provides a punch of color within the minimalist palette. Nearby is a custom maple credenza by Croft House. The white-trimmed windows are from Loewen and the white paint throughout is Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.

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.

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

An existing, tall Douglas fir stands sentinel at the left corner of the property outside the concrete wall. Pattison planted Colorado blue spruces in front of the Corten steel infills.