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Brian and Melissa chose a light color palette—pale wood and white paint—punctuating it with moments of color from art, furniture, and, in the case of the kitchen, dark tile. Ceramic dishes and woven artisan baskets are useful and beautiful.

The only transitional area in the home is this small hallway, which doubles as storage and laundry room. The primary suite is at the end, and the stairs lead to a loft for the children.

Floor plan of Two Square ADU by Shin Shin

A wall of built-in storage cubbies, shelving, and a bench anchors the bright white-painted bedroom, which features a walk-in closet.

For the sake of affordability and durability, the architect employed vinyl flooring for $5,980 throughout the ADU. In the open-plan kitchen/dining/living area, a vaulted ceiling lends a feeling of luxury and spaciousness.

The couple often relax by their vintage Jøtul stove—“our dream one,” Audi says—purchased from a neighbor. The rocker is a family heirloom, and the armchair is a roadside find.

The original layout was very much of the time: a perfect midcentury modern flow, with a closed-off kitchen and a fire put in the floor. “They were cool but impractical spaces,” says Schaer.

Lower floor plan of The Lofthouse by Drew + Tarah MacAlmon

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.

Upper floor plan of The Lofthouse by Drew + Tarah MacAlmon

Although strikingly different from its traditional farmhouse exterior, the interiors reference the outer appearance with an exposed solid granite wall in the living room and exposed roof trusses with black plated junctions that recall the artisanal joinery and construction techniques found in traditional Japanese homes.

The living area is furnished with a Moroso Smock armchair by Patricia Urquiola from Hub Furniture, a Grazia & Co Ivy Coffee Table, and a Sky Modular Sofa from Jardan.

A private cobblestone patio offers an idyllic spot to enjoy casual al fresco dining.

Using technology to design a home as energy-efficient as possible was a priority for Hague, both from a financial and philosophical standpoint. Along with Passive House certification for the main house, a solar array on the roof of the barn keeps energy use near zero. In fact, the entire property was Net Zero before the addition of the pool, and it may soon generate an energy surplus with the addition of a second solar array at the main house.

To keep to a barn vocabulary, Faulkner Architects replaced small windows with a large, steel-framed glass opening that can be seamlessly enclosed behind sliding wood doors.

Loon Lake Retreat floor plan

DeNiord designed a simple concrete bench with a honed top to run parallel to the randomly sized concrete pads that lead to the covered entry. He planted blueberry bushes behind the bench and a river birch tree behind the boulder. To conjure a wabi-sabi feel outdoors, diNiord poured concrete around a boulder. “It represents the interruption of perfect geometry,” he says.

The owners built the house as a place to gather with their three adult children on Loon Lake, where they had vacationed at the husband’s family home for years. The modern Adirondack chairs are by Loll Designs.