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View looking from the new deck along the central axis towards the new pool and existing living room (with new concrete deck). The new design built-up the sloping site around the pool so its surface could be raised to allow more of a connection between the existing indoor spaces and the water.

In the backyard, the 20' x 8

A sliding panel separates the living room and kitchen when necessary; the rest of the time, it conceals the wine and liquor cabinet.

A dramatic white oak panel wall reaches up to the new vaulted ceilings. There’s a concealed pantry to the right of the refrigerator.

Lauren and Brittan Ellingson, the owners of Notice Snowboards, a custom snowboard and wakesurf company in Whitefish, Montana, approached Workaday Design and builder Mindful Designs to concoct a new lake home for their family. The brief was, perhaps unsurprisingly, focused on getting the family outdoors as much as possible.

Silvertop ash and stringybark timber form the stair.

Working around mature eucalyptus and elm trees, architect Murray Barker sited a new home for Fleur Glenn on her property in Clifton Hill, Australia. The trees also drove the home’s shape, with angles meeting the gabled roof in unexpected ways. The south elevation mixes black-stained timber and cement board with board-and-batten siding.

A pair of Molded Plywood lounge chairs by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller sit opposite a BoConcept coffee table and a sofa of Paul’s design. For his father’s book collection, Paul created a library around the double-height staircase.

Floor-to-ceiling aluminum doors slide into the walls, bringing the outside world in and doubling the size of the living room. “It converted the space into something truly extraordinary, surrounded by vegetation. The climate in Mexico is perfect for it,” says Nina.

The outbuilding serves as a studio, a guest house, and a playroom. A Murphy bed sourced from Craigslist was customized with a birch surround to give it a built-in appearance.

When the Ferguson Sauder family—parents Meg, a school counselor, and Tim, a design instructor, plus kids Cole, Olive, and Asher—wanted a multifunctional backyard addition, they decided to build it themselves. Two Liftoff chairs by Tim Miller, one of Tim’s former students, surround an oil-drum fire pit set in granite dug up on the property. On the deck, the Panamericana chair is by Industry of All Nations.

The home is articulated along the ridge to command the highest point on the property, providing the clients with sweeping views across the rolling farmland.

The living room opens into the kitchen and a hallway that leads to the master bedroom suite. Deep-set skylights above the living space let in morning light from the east.

Webster Wilson designs a cedar-wrapped ADU in Portland, Oregon, for a grandmother and her visiting grandchildren.