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The rooftop tent can be accessed from the interior via a wooden ladder or—for the more athletic—via a series of wall-mounted climbing holds, made by Vock and carved from persimmon-tinted hardwood.

Seattle-based Robert Hutchison Architecture worked with the homeowners to design an addition to the residence that respects its original post-and-beam construction.

Elsewhere Cabin by Sean O'Neill

The structure blends into the site’s informal English-style garden, complemented with native coastal plantings by landscape designer Paula Hayes. Accessed by sliding doors, a second-floor garden is filled with a bed of low-maintenance, drought-tolerant sedum.

Top 9 Gardens of 2020: The verdant spaces nominated for the Dwell Design Awards help enliven their biophilic homes.

Fiona Shillington inside one of the A-framed cabins. Simple furnishings of built-ins line much of the living space inside while large windows and doors open onto a patio at one end.

The large, naturally lit kitchen is the heart of the house. Messmate-clad cupboards and huge expanses of glass dominate the space where Angelucci uses the sink, Gorman works at the kitchen island, and Pepa and Hazel look on. Play in the courtyard between the kitchen and garage is easily supervised and enclosed from the alley behind the house.

The rope chandelier is a French design from the 1940s by Hadrian Audoux and Frida Minet; the PP250 Valet chair is by Hans Wegner for PP Møbler.

Though the front of this 1880s home in Adelaide, Australia, maintains a traditional facade due to strict heritage laws, the rear is modern eye candy at its best. See more of the home.

In the rear of the house, a new addition extends the living space and adds a roof terrace off the second-floor master bedroom. A garden is accessible through a wall of sliding glass doors with Sapele mahogany frames, set back to control solar gain.

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Birdsall and Atticus are seated on an ipe bench designed by Anna Boeschenstein; the stucco exterior cladding was matched to Cast Iron 6202 paint by Sherwin-Williams.

Architects Joan Soranno and John Cook of HGA developed five site-specific cabins that tread lightly on the land at Marlboro College in rural Vermont. These deceptively simple structures update the regional vernacular. Every year, Marlboro College hosts the Marlboro Music Festival in which classical musicians join together to hone their craft. These cabins help support the musicians that live, work, and rehearse together.

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.

The carport leaves the vehicles it shelters partially exposed to the elements but encourages a southeast breeze to flow through, keeping the spaces cool.

The units don't even require foundations—simple ground screws from Krinner are enough to support them.