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In the living room, a wood stove keeps temperatures cozy. The artwork (of the ill-fated St. Francis Dam and reservoir) is by Al Stone, as is the built-in stove platform and bench seat. The sofa is from Blu Dot, the vintage Risom Lounge Chairs from Knoll and pillows by Kiriko Made.

The Ikea cabinet doors have pulls by Schoolhouse, and are paired with custom shelving by Al Stone. The backsplash tile is Zenia Solar Fielde Matte by Bedrosians. The pottery is by the Los Angeles studio Kat and Roger.

Floor Plan of Woodlands Hideout by Further Society and Arbor and Co.

Tiny Holiday Home ground floor plan

Hamra floor plans

The lightly refreshed midcentury has tongue-and-groove ceilings, a large central atrium, and a backyard filled with fruit trees.

The 500-square-foot home is designed for empty backyards in Silicon Valley. Abodu imagines the units serving as rentals, or housing for recent graduates or aging loved ones.

In the second bedroom, built-in bunk beds add a flair of fun, decorated with black netting.

A series of “stacked boxes” laid the foundation for this Sea Ranch–inspired home on a narrow site set on two flood zones and filled with protected redwoods.

Rian and Melissa Jorgensen's 2 Bar House in Menlo Park boasts all the usual green design suspects: energy-efficient lighting, good insulation, renewable material finishes, radiant heat, and the roof is pre-wired for future PV panels. Executed by Feldman Architecture, the house requires only natural lighting during the day which keeps energy costs way down. Still, the most stunning aspect of the green design is the living roof planted with succulents, aloe, viviums, and ice plants. "I'm absolutely glad that we did it," says Melissa. "It turned out so well and I really enjoy sitting up there and taking advantage of it as much as I can. It's very peaceful." Read more about this total remodel here.

The backyard sports a sequence of raised flower and vegetable beds and two green roofs—one atop the workshop and other atop the back entrance.

A guest bedroom, with furniture from Room & Board, overlooks the bridge above the dining courtyard. The home’s landscape architecture is by Ventura, California–based Jack Kiesel. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

"In this project, we got so much benefit out of this 'secret garden' for the master suite along with all of these environmental benefits that the residents were excited to embrace. It's one of the pieces we are happiest about," says architect Jonathan Feldman.

The couple flipped the typical townhouse layout by putting the bedrooms on the ground floor and the living areas upstairs. “The lower floors of machiyas tend to be cave-like,” says Chris, “so we decided to sleep in the cave and live upstairs in the bright open area.”

A look at the lower-level bathroom and courtyard garden.

A translucent glass door leads to the primary suite and yoga room. The walk-in shower is lined in dark blue fiberglass; the fixtures are from Sanwa.

Built in 1933, this Bauhaus-inspired home was designed for the family of well-known composer and pianist Henry Cowell by the renowned master architectural firm Morrow & Morrow, a few years after Irving Morrow designed the architectural components of the Golden Gate Bridge.