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The new kitchen is a vibrant mix of vintage-inspired and modern, featuring warm maple, bold pops of color, and stainless steel.

Simple oak furnishings from Habitat blend with the birch millwork and bamboo floor. The cabinetry, benches, and doors were built by Olivier, who studied design before becoming a filmmaker.

An outdoor shower and foot washing station offer a place to rinse off after a day spent at the beach.

After: Geoffrey custom-built the wall cabinetry and shelving, which is painted Valspar’s Lake Country. “We wanted to create an entryway,” he explains. In an effort to repurpose, all the wood in the kitchen is taken from old ceiling joists and old hemlock siding. “Our contractors learned that we were restoring things, so people just dropped materials off for us,” he says. In regards to teal color selection, “the light came first,” he said, referencing the slightly darker shade of the overhead fixture. “When we were picking out the color for the cabinetry, we wanted to make sure it worked – again all the colors tie back to the wallpaper in the living room.”

The concrete wall behind the porch provides a backdrop for the wood stove and privacy from the road.

The new kitchen is an IKEA kitchen with Reform fronts painted a moody blue color, not unlike the ocean itself. "Sometimes it looks really gray, and sometimes it looks way more green-blue," says Jocie. "I like that. Depending on the light, it has a very different feel." The countertops are Richlite Black Diamond.

The kitchen layout was reconfigured so that the focus is on the view—the wall of windows, which look out on the ocean, is now underscored by one long, uncluttered counter. There, the faucet is Delta and the dishwasher is Bosch. The range stayed in nearly the same spot, and the opposite wall has been thickened with storage and the refrigerator column. Both the refrigerator and range are by Bertazzoni.

The oak stairs and railings were built by the sisters’ carpenter father, Mikal, with the help of a contractor.

Southwest: Steve Martino Phoenix-based landscape architect Steve Martino has unlocked the secret to successful gardening in dry desert environs: “The backbone of my career has been celebrating the desert rather than making apologies for it,” he says. His drought-tolerant designs relate to the southwestern climate and feature native plants—like the whale’s tongue agave, compass barrel cactus, and ocotillo in front of a Scottsdale midcentury house.

Melbourne firm Splinter Society’s main goal for the Bungalow 8 renovation and expansion was to create "a more modern, free-flowing series of connected living spaces,

The homes were designed to maximize the indoor/outdoor experience. “On long weekends, we sit in the garden, invite friends, and make a barbecue. It’s like we’ve gone on holiday without leaving home,” says resident Luca Pagnan.

The deck, fashioned from ipe, was built around one of the property’s many granite outcroppings. An earthen roof was planted with the same varieties of sedum that were added to the front of the cottage.

In an industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn, a verdant green roof of native grasses, wildflowers, and fruits creates an oasis.

A section of the facade—a cross between a shoji screen and a barn door—slides open. Planter boxes contain edible varieties that fuel Mary’s culinary explorations.

New folding glass doors connect the downstairs living room to the revamped yard. The floors are concrete and the ceilings are Hemlock.

The garage was converted into the primary suite, and a modern landscaping treatment added, with staggered pavers intertwined with ground cover.

New concrete pathways, all built by Jake and Antony, are arranged around an artful tool shed, which has a weathered steel wall punched with a pattern from the Faroe Islands in Denmark, where Sigrid is from. “That was a nod to Sigrid’s heritage,” says Bassett. The shed also acts as a privacy screen for the patio below it.

A linear window with its sill dropped to the floor creates connection to the side yard. “We incorporated all these new windows in order to stream a lot more light into the house,” says Bassett.