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The multifunctional organizer at the entry includes an umbrella stand, a shoe rack, and an adjustable pegboard that serves as a wine rack and hat/helmet rack.

A built-in closet and chalkboard surface in the entry keeps things tidy and the couple's to-do list in order.

The powder room is a retreat from the main living areas. The firm set off the Victorian ash storage and mirror unit by surrounding it with black hexagon tile. A "sky tunnel" in the ceiling floods the room with natural light.

The firm tucked an entry bench into the curved wall to create an easy spot for taking off shoes by the door, then lined the passageway with shelves. A curved bench under the stairs creates a nook.

The journey through the dark tunnel to the new, light-filled addition is both a texturally interesting and atmospheric experience, where the contrast between old and new, dark and light, can be felt.

The front-facing patio is quite exposed—but it's flanked by the garage and indoor/outdoor garden so there is a barrier from the street.

Large cedar-clad openings connect the interior living spaces to the courtyard. The bright and airy main living spaces wrap around the courtyard.

The alleyway facade reveals the contemporary addition with cedar-framed windows and a hardwood battened screen. The clerestory window glows at night behind the battens.

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.

Guests now dine on a table from Coup d’Etat in the space where the residents used to enter the house. The dining room feels much larger than it actually is, thanks to a ten-foot-wide sliding glass door that opens onto a second, outdoor lounge.

Entry

Living Room

The den sits on the far end of the living area, and it has the only TV in the house—a family rule so that they spend time together. The space can also be a guest room for relatives visiting from Brazil. There are two bedrooms and a master suite on the second level.

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.

Working around mature eucalyptus and elm trees, architect Murray Barker sited a new home for Fleur Glenn on her property in Clifton Hill, Australia. The trees also drove the home’s shape, with angles meeting the gabled roof in unexpected ways. The south elevation mixes black-stained timber and cement board with board-and-batten siding.