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The Gene Leedy House near the time of completion

A Carrara marble backsplash adds cool contrast and a sense of drama when set against the custom oiled-steel black cabinetry in the renovation of the kitchen in this A. Quincy Jones home in Los Angeles.

The L-shaped lot—and the decision to create a private courtyard and patio—made the kitchen and dining space the natural hub of the ground floor. Sweet installed full-length cabinetry on the western wall for storage, and included a wood niche for convenience.

A wall covered in graphite-colored Ann Sacks tile runs from the kitchen out to the covered porch. Similarly, the sheetrock ceiling and the concrete flooring are extended from inside to outside—a cost-saving measure that provides visual continuity. The Hot Mesh outdoor dining chairs are by Blu Dot.

The geometrically disciplined facade is composed of blonde cypress, white stucco, and cedar that was charred black by Delta Millworks.

Fields of native grasses connect the main residence, situated at the top of the slope, to the new structures scattered below. A pergola extends from the post-and-beam structure that was maintained during the remodel of the midcentury home.

Whether it’s cross-country skiing in the winter or trail running in the summer, the 330-foot home’s minimalist design encourages Catherine to be outside in the surrounding landscape throughout the year.

In Los Angeles, homeowner Bill Thompson warmed up his otherwise dark living room with a series of Douglas fir slats applied above the fireplace, as well as other wood accents throughout the room; the slats provide both texture and pattern to the fireplace, acting as a focal point and emphasizing the space's vertical height.

Bill Thompson’s Hollywood home exudes modern cool with a custom walnut dining table and chairs from Modernica.

It was the surf and the artsy vibe that attracted Eric Grunbaum to Venice Beach, California, 18 years ago. An avid surfer and creative director for an advertising agency, he thrives on lively environs. So it’s no surprise that he turned to the Los Angeles–based architect Barbara Bestor to design a house for him near the Pacific. Bestor, the chair of graduate studies at Woodbury University School of Architecture, has a formidable reputation in Southern California for her bohemian modernism, and for Grunbaum, she created a 2,000–square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bath home that harbors a traditional sensibility with a contemporary heart. From the deck off the master bedroom, Grunbaum looks across his front yard. Bestor designed the second story to float over the ground “like a cloud.” Grunbaum guides us on a tour of his modern surf shack.

San Francisco–based Michael Hennessey Architecture paid homage to Eichler's affinity for open spaces by reconfiguring the living area on the upper floor and moving the kitchen to organically connect the rooms.

Floor-to-ceiling windows from Sierra Pacific offer views across a cedar deck to the backyard. Oakley says he and Waechter asked themselves, “How would we build something that’s functional and warm and utilitarian, and have some vestige of familiar architectural reference?”

Floor plan

The main house, garden, and home office are all linked by the use of repeated materials and neutral aesthetics.

Floor plan of The Risom Home by Go Logic

When artist Birgitta Burling and her husband Staffan decided to build a house on the idyllic Swedish island of Gotland, they set their ambitions high. "The brief was to make a house that can do several things…to create a house with very little boundaries and infinite possibilities," says French architecture and landscape firm Collectif Encore.

Terra-cotta tiles clad the kitchen backsplash, and the countertops are made of oak.