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The bathroom has been decorated in neutral colours to help create a clutter-free sanctuary. Hidden storage is built into the ceiling above.

The solid support wall was swapped out for a wood slat wall. Dunn Edwards “Revival Rose,” an update on the terracotta color, was used to define the kitchen from the rest of the home.

Interior designer Ginger Lunt revives a 1954 residence that she fell in love with as a young girl growing up in the tropical forests of Mount Tantalus.

The Lily Pad is a 280-square-foot shipping container home located near Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio.

An arbor-covered deck looks out over an oval rain garden planted with a mix of flowering native plants.

Behind her is the greenhouse, where Lynn starts vegetables like lettuce, Swiss chard, and tomatoes. Landscape architect David Hocker defined the sunken fire pit area with Cor-Ten steel.

The five-foot tall fire pit rock is buried three-feet into the ground for stability.

California: Andrea Cochran On a two-and-a-half acre landscape in Geyserville, California, Andrea Cochran found that compatibility was key. “Although not all of the plants are native to California, they are native to the Mediterranean and arid regions with similar climates,” she says. Lomandra— an Australian herb—flanks a Cor-Ten steel staircase and a walkway lined with Yosemite tan pebbles and concrete.

Cole worked with two landscape companies, Sydney Organic Gardens and Pepo Botanic Design, to create the plant and vegetable gardens and other permaculture features.

The downstairs garden space offers another outdoor escape.

Another water-saving project in Menlo Park includes a rock bed with succulents.

"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.

Now, an eight-foot sliding door brings light into the kitchen and enables fluid movement between inside and out. The wider steps can serve as seats during a party, and they make for a graceful transition to the yard.

A yellow frangipani tree surrounded by KLS sandstone pavers is the focal point of the outdoor courtyard.

“The darker, midnight blue exterior paint color was used on all of the existing building elements to create more of a dynamic contrast with the new structure, which was painted white," says Ryan. Tomatoes, little gem lettuce, green beans, a tobacco plant, and a few strawberry bushes (tended by the kids) grow in the courtyard.

“The custom profile painted siding echoes the typical horizontal lap siding seen throughout the neighborhood while playing with scale,” says Ryan. “Also, the extruded white oak window boxes on the new structure give a nod to the more traditional approach to window casings while making them more three dimensional.”

Architectural designer Sebastian Mariscal and project manager Jeff Svitak created a house in Venice, California, for Michael and Tamami Sylvester. Known as Dwell Home Venice for its role as an exemplification of modern architecture, the house is an homage to indoor-outdoor living. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.