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Windows open directly from the kitchen to the breezeway between the main building and the screened porch, making alfresco dining easy. When the sun shines on the breezeway, the family simply moves the table and chairs to the north patio.

Diane chose a metal cladding due to the risk of fire in the Ponderosa forest. As a result, the insurance costs for the cabin are very low compared to the neighboring cabins.

Early in the design process, Diane had considered a dropped ceiling over the kitchen to distinguish it from the living/dining area. “Our builder Trevor said he liked the feel of the interior space and advised against it,” reveals Diane. “We’re so glad he did!” He also made other small suggestions, including the stepped trim around the door frames. A piece of the original boxcar was salvaged by Diane’s son and daughter-in-law and turned into a key rack hanging by the main door.

The breezeway between the main cabin and the summer porch acts as a third living space in the summer and on mild spring and fall days, linking the separate structures. “The walls slanting over the breezeway create an implied arch between the cabin and the summer porch, lending a sense of intimacy to the heart of the house,” says Diane.

Reeves relocated the kitchen to the back wall and separated it from the adjacent dining area with a large, quartzite-covered island. "When extended family comes to visit, they do quite a bit of cooking. [They use] a lot of spices, and so there was concern about staining the countertop," says Reeves, who chose Luce de Luna quartzite, a variety that has low porosity. Fireclay glazed brick floor tile defines the space from the rest of the great room.

The walls are covered in Roman Clay in a blue ‘Lisbon’ color, from Portola Paints. “The hue of the blues was really inspired by the lake, and the surrounding nature,” says Gallois. Nordic II Bedside Tables from Ethnicraft sit besdie a Nest Bed via DWR, with VL38 Wall Lights by Louis Poulsen.

The designers specified an integrated sink and vanity out honed Calacatta Monet marble, set against a wall of dimensional Cyclone tile from Fireclay, with an Aalto A330S Golden Bell Savoy Pendant for contrast. The walls are Roman Clay ‘Nitty Gritty’ from Portola Paints.

The bookshelves lining the walls of the living room were inherited from family.

The living room is five steps down from the kitchen and office space and features textured black slate tile from Olympia Tile, Voyage Immobile sofas with Farniente collection upholstery (a wedding present from Flanders’s mother) by Roche Bobois, and a rug from Turkmenistan the couple picked up in Jerusalem. The sliding glass doors are by Loewen and the glazing above is by Inline Fiberglass. Sawatzky relied on Wayne Arsenault for the custom millwork and carpentry.

Built-in shelves and storage save space in another bedroom.

The shelves and the hidden bar are painted a delightful ‘Tarrytown Green’ by Benjamin Moore.

Doors on the bar allow it to be hidden away for a cleaner look.

Storage had to be dialed in within the narrow footprint of the brownstone. The black core holds the pantry, while on the right, a bank of custom cabinetry hosts the command station, mop closet, and a concealed bar.-

Above the dining room’s Hodgson & Barker Antiques table—found on eBay—are ceramic pendant lights from Hand & Eye Studio. The architect acquired the wood chairs secondhand.

The Smith family desired an open kitchen, reinforced by shelving and minimal amounts of locally made cabinetry.

The bright-yellow cabinets are a playful touch in the otherwise neutral-toned space.

The home explores new, innovative ways of utilizing hemp. The kitchen and dining area are located in a double-height space.

“The enormous kitchen includes 20-foot vaulted ceilings with massive hand-hewn beams, radiant polished concrete floors, and a soaring ‘curtain wall’ of glass and steel,” says the listing agent.