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Keep founders Austin and Kotono Watanabe revived a compact home in Minneapolis with a dazzling kitchen, an all-electric upgrade, and a clerestory “scoop.”

Emily and Jason Potter of DEN Los Angeles furnished the living area with Paul Laszlo's cane bench for Glenn of California, a Frank Lloyd Wright marble-topped “Taliesin” coffee table for Heritage Henredon and an Alvar Aalto lounge chair for Artek.

One renovation request, homeowner Isaac Hase says, “was having a place to drop your shoes.” At the mudroom end of a run of kitchen cabinets, you’ll find another feature the couple asked for. “We wanted to have a dedicated, visible place for our little stash of cookbooks,” Karoline says.

The pitched roof upstairs is set back from the flat-roofed main floor, breaking up its mass. The detached rear garage became an office for Moshe and firm partner Wayne Erb.

Jason and Laura Miller-Smith tapped Cover Architecture and EEK Studio to update their Buff and Hensman midcentury home with custom casework, ribbed glass, and a grand fireplace while staying true to the original plans.

“We definitely wanted to preserve the character of the home and make sure that it always fits the neighborhood,” says designer Jenny Bassett. To that end, the team kept the front façade intact, only repainting and adding new landscaping. The fireplace in the living room was also retained, so wood is stored in the front yard for easy access.

The garage was converted into the primary suite, and a modern landscaping treatment added, with staggered pavers intertwined with ground cover.

The mid-section of the siding was done in a shou-sugi ban method. Custom brass was used for the awning, alongside a standing-seam metal roof.

Warwas offset the rear of the ADU to accommodate the power lines running behind the house, and he designed a window in the office/guest room upstairs that meets the roof in the same way that the window off the dining area/kitchen meets the ground.

Warwas created what he calls "a foyer moment

Custom white oak cabinetry defines the open plan kitchen, which also features a stone-topped island and breakfast nook, where Ricks and his family spend much of their time.

Solk Architecture turned this tiny Brooklyn kitchen into a home cook’s dream, complete with an herb garden, a custom island, and cabinetry galore.

A blue checkered Moroccan rug amps up the visual interest in the space, along with a new yellow Togo couch and Herman Miller coffee table. Switching out the mullioned windows for new tilt-and-turn windows from Semko help the space feel larger and increase energy efficiency.

Niki and Gustavo splurged on more permanent finishes and budgeted on items, like faucets and shelves, that could be easily upgraded over time.