Favorites

A steel staircase connects the living room to the new second story while acting as a functional sculpture in the space. Cameron repurposed the timber paneling from another building site.

In 2014, Jeff and Karen Gunning began researching building another house, hoping to create a single, contained volume without compromising their retirement funds. The resulting Tree House comprises three pitched volumes with cutaways to create a porch in phase one and recessed window planter ledges in phase two. Simple wood columns provide support.

Inspired by a David Hockney painting, Grant Straghan colors his London home in soothing tones of seafoam and rose.

In her L.A. office, Tracy A. Stone swaps commercial fixtures and 20-year-old cabinets for fresh appliances and tasteful finishes.

One of two children's bedrooms

The 750-square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) that Bo Sundius and Hisako Ichiki of BunchADU designed in Los Angeles’s Atwater Village is filled with bright colors that help to designate the spaces within the small backyard home.

Another sleeping area features double bunk beds.

Double doors open to the deck.

This thatch-roofed brick cottage in Nieby, Germany, was originally built by tenant farmers or crofters from a nearby estate in the late 1800s. It stands on a small triangular plot of land surrounded by barley fields and faces toward the Geltinger Birk nature reserve. The home’s street-facing facade was preserved and restored with only a minimal, black-steel dormer window belying the more substantial alterations which open onto the private rear yard. A subtle black-framed addition containing an oak-lined living space is tucked under the thatched roof and opens onto a sunken timber terrace while large picture windows are cut into the historic brick volume in areas which had been damaged from the previous additions.

Adamant about floor-to-ceiling windows but reeling from sticker shock, Chau tapped local fabricators Arnold Iron Works and Strong Tempering Glass to create custom glazing, which proved much more affordable. The glass is reflective on the street side, creating a mirror effect.

“MA03 Library House was designed to meet the requirements of a ceramicist and a lawyer in need of a home capable of holding their extensive book collection as well as providing them with spaces for work and creative activity,” say Fria Folket, the architect behind this cabin in Sweden.

In Austin, an auxiliary guest house in the yard is a common sight; a guest house on the roof, less so.

Floor Plan of Tall House by Tall Architects

Oak flooring runs throughout the home, creating a subdued backdrop for the aged furniture. "It really lets everything around it stand out,