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The accessory dwelling unit behind the home of Sonja Batalden in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has cheery yellow siding that the entrance appears to carve into. “If the yellow of the siding is the wrapper on the candy, this is kind of like the gooey middle,” architect Christopher Strom says about the thermally modified ash lining the entry.

At James and Sara Davis’s weekend home on O‘ahu, double-height doors open to a lanai-like space at the center of the house. The home’s energy needs are met via solar panels set by the entry.

Architect Bundit Kanisthakhon set the structure above ground as a precaution against flooding. At the Davises’ request, he ensured that the house can be disassembled for easy relocation.

To turn a home into a permanent residence for a family of four, Rama Estudio attached a prefab glass-and-steel box that extends into the surrounding wilderness.

The pine interior features custom details like a rolling couch from Aquaclean and a kitchen cupboard wide enough for a paella pan. A D-7 freestanding stove from Rocal hangs on the wall.

Síol Studios renovated a 1920s Spanish Colonial-style home as an L.A. getaway for a creative couple. The designers prioritized keeping the original charm of the home while updating it to accommodate an indoor/outdoor lifestyle. Each element in the home is a statement piece, particularly the custom-designed curving pink banquette. Upholstered in a durable outdoor-grade fabric, the seat is not only beautiful, but resilient against spills and wet swimsuits.

The kitchen features custom millwork with opal glass pulls, recycled glass terrazzo countertops and backsplash, copper plumbing, and a showstopping Lacanche range in Provence yellow.

Occupants step down into the kitchen from the dining room. A run of cabinets with an integrated sink directly abuts the threshold between the rooms, where an original plaster archway also meets new ceiling joists.

Project architects Studio Marshall Blecher and Jan Henrik Jansen Arkitekter opened up the center of the house, previously comprising a maze of fourteen small rooms, creating one large and airy kitchen and dining space with a high, chapel like ceiling. A six-meter-long concrete plinth standing at the center of the room which doubles as an island bench and dining table, had to be lowered into the house by a crane while the roof was being reconstructed.

The majority of the boys’ bathroom is clad in economic, white ceramic tile. A band of yellow tiles delineates each boy’s personal area, and the color continues across the ceiling. The Andy Warhol pixelated tiles by Dune were an indulgence, and they were used sparingly for impact.

In the bathroom, old and new merge in unexpected ways. The floor is covered in heritage red hexagonal floor tiles, “which are often used in Victorian-era public buildings,” says Bokey-Grant. The amber panel is a piece of heritage patterned glass. “We had intended to reuse a piece of glass from a window that was removed during demolition, but this broke during removal so we sourced a new piece,” says Bokey-Grant. “This is an adaption of the original fan light / highlight window prevalent in heritage homes in Australia.”

Bathrooms are finished with marbles slabs, marble penny tile and pickled white oak.

The master bath features a wooden bathtub imported from Scotland.

Wood Melbourne supplied the Otis timber and brass shower head.