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SHED rebuilt the deck to have only two support posts, and an integrated planter faced with COR-TEN steel to tie into the front facade.

"Knowing that it would need to be on the vacation rental market until we retire, we wanted it to be a destination home for families to explore the Bonavista peninsula,

Woud’s modular sofa provides a vibrant accent color used elsewhere in the house and ADU. The striped club chair is from Ferm Living; the Eames chair and ottoman were among the only things the couple brought with them from Colorado. The knot cushions are by Design House Stockholm, and the prints are by Cornelia Thomsen.

The slats on the window offer solar protection and privacy. “Before the slats were installed, it really felt like you were just living on the street,” says Vanbesien.

Sheila and Steve looked into selling their home, but financially it made more sense (at the time) to renovate instead.

Vince and Adrienne Murphy’s rural retreat is clad in gray shingles and gray-stained pine. “They wanted the cottage to meld into the woods and be visually quiet,” says architect Kelly Doran, who worked with Portico Timber Frames to build the 2,500-square-foot home.

A wall of clerestory windows brings afternoon light into the ceramics studio while large sliding glass doors can open it entirely to the garden. They were all custom-made by Blomberg, a company in Sacramento, and the project's biggest splurge.

In rural Quebec, La Shed Architecture designed a simple gabled home that echoes the form of the region’s traditional barns.

Drawing inspiration from the legendary coastal community, Rubin Studios clad the hillside home in cedar and revamped its interiors with timber, stone, and tile.

In October 2017, the catastrophic Nuns fire incinerated the ’70s-era A-frame in Napa County, California, that had served as a family retreat for 20 years and that the owners, who are mostly retired, were in the process of turning into their permanent home. (When the fire hit, the couple had already brought nearly all their family keepsakes and heirlooms, making the loss especially poignant.) Working with architectural designer Brandon Jørgensen, the couple turned the loss into a chance to build what is now their permanent home with fire resistance baked into the design.

The reading nook is surrounded by storage designed to accommodate specific items. The tall cupboard, for example, houses an ironing board and ladder. "The shapes are not just arbitrary,

The sunken lounge was designed with "slowing down and appreciating the environment" in mind. A custom-made, built-in sofa wraps around the space, bleeding into the stairs and a custom wood display shelf. Not having a TV was an intentional choice. "We wanted the client to be able to lie back and watch the clouds and the sky, to have conversations, to read a book, to play with their pets," says Knights.