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Instead of creating a super modern house, the archways and materiality brought warmth and character.

The house is oriented north-south, with the broad side of the structure facing east-west. This guarantees not only gorgeous views of the sunset, but also minimizes wind exposure.

House II floor plan

Established in 1997, Artisans Group in Olympia designs modern homes throughout the greater Seattle and Portland areas. Their design-build models allow the company to provide full design services, and thanks to a partnership with Phoenix Haus—a Passive House panel fabricator—they are now able to develop Passive House prefab homes.

There is now continuous, stepped landscaping from one home to the next as the buildings and street rise up the hillside.

A band of precast concrete, which holds a custom bench, wraps around the downstairs living area. The striped cushion fabric was purchased in Antwerp. A wood-framed AP71 lounge chair by Hans Wegner and a seat by Wim Rietveld, the son of famed Dutch designer Gerrit Rietveld, outfit the space. Underfloor heating installed throughout the house allows for a flexible layout: “There aren’t any radiators cluttering up the rooms,” Jeffries explains.

Floor plan of Lake Pepin Farmhouse by TEA2 Architects

The architects specified an aluminum roof that “ghosts” the structure—it’s a material that recalls the typical use of corrugated metal on agricultural buildings, yet it subtly contrasts with the historic form. “It’s not quite what you’d use on a normal barn,” says Powell.

A simple material palette of wood and glass gives the house a warm, inviting feel.

Riffing on local farmhouses, architects Patrick Walker and Elizabeth Demetriades covered the 4,000-square-foot house in rough-sawn red cedar and capped it with a standing-seam galvalume roof.

Garcia clad the ADU’s exterior with a local Texas limestone, similar in color and texture to the main house, “just to tie the two together visually,” says the architect.

The renovation introduced a new deck, and opened up the living and kitchen areas. “The home is ‘so Warrandyte,’” says builder Hamish White. “It has a great connection with the outdoors, views of trees from most windows, and a homely and familiar feel which makes it really comfortable to be in.”

A 16-foot-wide, multi-slide door leads from the main living area to a covered patio.

Erecting a modern cabin where a tool shed once stood became a family exercise for architect Jim Cutler and his daughter, Hannah, who worked with him on the design and build.

The upper cabinets and display shelves in the kitchen are home to some of homeowner, Barrett Jackson's creations.

An iconic First chair by Michele de Lucchi for Memphis sits under Antonio’s Rorschach paintings in the bedroom. "They're twins, made from an inkblot process," he says. When it came to buying the furniture he didn’t make, the architect thought about an adage from fashion designer Vivienne Westwood: "Buy less, choose well, and make it last."