Favorites

The home features a combination of interior and exterior living spaces that afford privacy to the occupants. “There are social spaces for everyone to be together, but also spots outside the building where people can have a private coffee—and that’s so important,” says architect Line Solgaard.

Sarah Butler and Mel Elias’s Siberian husky, Rooney, reclines in the renovated dining room of their Los Angeles home. The raised floor provides easy access to mechanical systems, something the house lacked as originally built.

A third of the house and deck cantilever out toward the stream, and the void beneath the deck provides a place for wood storage. The cabin sits just 100 feet from the water, and with the windows open you can hear the ambient rush of the stream from throughout the house.

The walk-in shower has a skylight, and is covered in Ann Sacks Square Arcilla tile, which the architects chose because it doesn’t look "too precise." The floor is Waterworks terrazzo.

"When you check out houses like Aladino's old one or the barns where people work, the construction systems or the treatment of materials are very elementary and intuitive, and therein lies the value of these operations,

"We love that our multipurpose space can act as a venue for productivity and collaboration in The Loft, while The House invites rest, relaxation, and connection as guests unplug at a quiet retreat in the woods," says Tarah. "The cherry on top is that we can do this from our own backyard, with our kids playing a special role in maintaining the property and hosting guests alongside us."

The Lofthouse is built one of the many hills separating it from the couple’s main residence. "Excavation was a challenge, as we wanted to maintain as much of the existing landscape as possible, but needed to clear out trees for the foundation," says Tarah.

Built-in desks and cabinets by Égoïne create an office nook overlooking the staircase.

Inside, tile flooring was replaced with concrete. The freestanding, kiva-style fireplace was in working condition when the couple bought the house, but the wall of windows behind it was obscured by plantation shutters and plastic treatments. Today, the living room is bathed in sunlight and new dual-pane glazing frames the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance.

Before: Fireplace / Living Room

The living room’s showpiece is a Zircon stove by Malm; its flue snakes 25 feet to the ceiling. “We really wanted the fireplace to be the anchor within this large space,” says Raj. A rust velvet Lenyx sofa from CB2 provides a punch of color within the minimalist palette. Nearby is a custom maple credenza by Croft House. The white-trimmed windows are from Loewen and the white paint throughout is Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.

For cross ventilation, the residents can open and close the large sliding doors around the porch, which the architect describes as “the heart of the home.” Likewise, windows are positioned to provide breezes when necessary.

Dwellings Winner: Casa Ter by Mesura Mesura designed a retreat for a family of five in the Catalonian countryside, utilizing regional and artisanal building techniques and local materials for a sustainable home that blends with the landscape.

To protect the home from the sun in the summer, the south facade has less windows and a pergola over the terrace.

“We investigated past examples—the works of the maestros who did a similar exercise in investigating and understanding vernacular Mediterranean architecture in order to interpret it to the way of living of their time,” explains architect Benjamin Iborra Wicksteed. “Architects worth mentioning here are Josep Antoni Coderch, Josep Lluis Sert, Lanfranco Bombelli, Barba Corsini, and Antoni Bonet i Castellana.”

The oak cabinet in the living room was another secondhand find. “It had the exact measurements of the wall,” says Annemie. “We just needed to hang it.” The throw blanket is from La Femme Garniture while the pillows and pendants are custom.