Favorites

Adair has long wished for Togo chairs, but as much as she loves the design, she tries not to be too precious about it. “We let the kids use them how they want, and they’re perfect fort furniture,” she says. “They’re really durable. It’s a design that makes architect parents happy.”

After: The marble-clad primary bath evokes Zeke's childhood. "I grew up in a house that had been owned by a prizefighter, and I distinctly remember the shower being slabs of marble, floor-to-ceiling,

Clever cubby storage is incorporated into the base of the interior stairs, while the extra-deep stair treads provide flexible "stadium-style" seating for the kids.

“Elegant material choices, subtle detailing, and thoughtful spatial sensibilities belie the building’s intelligent space planning,” says Aniket Shahane of OA.

The industrial stair leads to the upper level, where the bedrooms, bathrooms, and play space are located.

The addition contrasts with the main house in dramatic fashion, which was, according to Cerrone, "the main point". "The extension needed to be something different, more modern, and built with sustainable materials,

The rooftop garden serves multiple purposes, including as a rainwater collector and natural air conditioner. To maximize garden area, HOP limited the number of skylights to two.

HOP used four skylights, inundating the gallery below with natural light while leaving plenty of space on the roof for a biodiverse garden. The native grasses and flowers attract a variety of pollinators and create a terrific view from the upstairs rooms, leading the eye straight over the roof and into the forest.

The 1,400-square-foot house could not be expanded beyond its original footprint, but the owners appreciated its relative modesty in choosing not to add a second story.

The new master bedroom includes a bay window protruding outward from the original facade, making a window seat that frames a view of shore pines and the dunes.

The renovated dining area is clad with the house's original cedar panels, which were re-milled.

Lake|Flato designed a weekend home on North Fork, Long Island that nods to the rustic agricultural structures dotting the region. Western red cedar siding is stained black to help the home's three structures recede into the landscape.

“We pulled apart one volume and staggered it along the buildable area of the property,” says architect Matthew Ahlberg of Portland firm Barrett Made. The home is clad in unfinished cedar, meant to weather over time.

Built on a shale ridge with a 35-foot drop-off, Scott and Julie Pelletier’s house in Maine comprises a succession of simple gables.

“Being perched on the hilltop at Spyon Cop is like nothing else,” says client Siobhan Turner. “My favourite experience of the house is sitting in my Ercol chair or, in nice weather, out on the deck, coffee in hand, watching the sun rise over the valley.”

The sod roof is angled to create a sweeping elevation on approach and is planted with grass tussocks cut from the hillside during construction. “The tussocks camouflage the house, melting it into the landscape,” explains architect Kate Brown.

The kitchen island responds to the concrete walls and floor, while black pendant lights punctuate the otherwise light palette.

In keeping with a pared back aesthetic, Brown & Brown designed a custom plywood kitchen, carrying the timber through as internal doors and the dining room’s storage bench.

The bedroom features sweeping views over the valley and the river through expansive glazing, and a door opens out to the patio that spans the length of the home.