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"How would a kid draw a house?" architect Per Franson asked himself when designing the Olivero-Reinius family home. The simple prefab structure’s unusual color comes from a traditional source: falu rödfärg, the historic mineral paint that gives the region’s famous barns their red color.

Drought-tolerant landscaping with California natives surrounds the front and backyards.

Although The Goat Heads are mostly clad in metal, it’s the plastic panel walls at the entries that really shine. “In the evening they act like lanterns and animate the courtyards,” says Rogers. Their glow is tempered by the concrete breeze-block walls. “It was important that the units weren’t too bright—part of the beauty out here is the sky at night.”

Architect Merritt Amanti Palminteri reinvented her family home to add volume, flow, and infinite charm without changing the footprint.

The renovated second bedroom, outfitted with a wall of storage