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Working with salvaged and donated materials (and without ferry service), the Stinn Family assembled this dreamy getaway piece by piece.

A view of how the reworked entry meets the new office/library, with the slat wall promoting sightlines through the house.

“They really wanted to have tile in the kitchen and at the front door, but everyone disliked that hard edge line,” says Gregga. “Doing the organic edge of the tile helped make the entry space and kitchen feel like one, and then it disintegrates into the living and dining room.”

At the end of the hall is the primary suite, with the living room to the right.

The brass backsplash was a risky experiment carried off by Natalie, who started with unlacquered 4x8 foot sheets, then gave them patina by covering them in vinegar, ketchup, and salt, and leaving them out in the sun. The resulting pattern was aligned as carefully as possible, and the surface sealed. “We just had to essentially cut the topography into a way that felt really great,” says Natalie.

No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.

Custom white oak cabinets are topped with honed Amazon Black Granite counters. The island cabinetry has Polaris fronts from Abet Laminati in Gris Graphite, which are purported to be “highly resistant to scratches and heat,” says the company.

A wall of slatted wood facing the street masks an exterior ADU stairway and an upstairs wall of glass that glows at night.

A 1000xBetter removed the wrought iron and striped awning, and covered the façade in wood, leaving the distinct midcentury elements intact.

“It takes a particular type of person to want to live here because it is slightly isolated from the city,” says Anna. “But that also invites a lot of creative possibilities.”

The rustic wood used for the open shelving was sourced locally, and a carpenter based in the area made the cabinetry.

The existing Ikea cabinet boxes received new Semihandmade fronts: the DIY Flat Slab painted Benjamin Moore's “Revere Pewter.” The butcher block was replaced with a Ceaserstone Empira White slab, and the wood shelves were preserved, though received new brass brackets. The brass hardware is from Rejuvenation and the pendant is the Pirlo from Tech Lighting. The new zellige tile is from Riad, in the Natural White color.

The remodel involved removing a wall in the kitchen to open up the main living spaces. “I typically prefer having individual rooms for certain purposes, but the open plan works well in a midcentury home,” says Whitney.

The simple material palette extends to the bathroom.

The Waterfall Residence is named after the home’s rear wall, which is angled to funnel rainwater runoff from the roof into two 2,000-gallon storage tanks under the home.