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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.”

The original home was converted into a bedroom level, and given a second-story addition and roof deck. The dark exterior color, a charcoal-eggplant hue, lets the landscape colors stand out in contrast. “The existing house roof became the roof deck,” says Rogers. “And then I just shifted over the addition so that it floated over the landscape.”

After an unprecedented year of earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires, a bright light has been shed on the benefits of building with concrete.

A painting by Yael hangs near the Murphy bed in the make-shift guest sleeping quarters.

The dining table is surrounded by a mix of antique wood chairs including a Thonet and an Eames DCM.

White laminate and wood veneer helped the partition stay within budget, and create a clean backdrop for the couple's eclectic display of folk and outsider art, much of which was collected on their travels around the world.

Ferm Living Desert lounge chairs, Fat Boy Bolleke globe lamps, and a concrete gas fire pit.

Feldman Architecture opens up a dark and cramped seaside house with big windows and a healthy dose of wood.

Existing boulders from the site were moved and used as minimalist landscaping at Casa Roca. Solar panels above were prefabricated off site so as not to disturb the surroundings.

The overall home is constructed with larch timber, a British wood, and features a central ridge beam that gives it a butterfly-shaped roof. Shou sugi ban was done on the wood to give it a charred finish.

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.

“Watching the sunrise and moonrise from the living room is gobsmacking,” says James.

A white onyx countertop extends from the kitchen island to create a breakfast bar, outfitted with Bobby stools by Daniel Tucker for DesignByThem. “The floating benchtop is the most brilliant thing we’ve ever done, and we’ll never have a house without one again,” says Cheryl. Metallic accents like pendants from Lighting Collective and brass drawer handles complement rich wood finishes. The runner rugs are from Pampa, and the faucet is from ABI Interiors.