The historic home is dressed in a neutral palette of cement, wood, and glass.
The blackened timber–clad cabin that arba designed in Longueil, Normandy, France, is marked by large glass doors, layered with wood slats that slide open and connect the home to its lush landscape.
No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.
Electric stoves, including induction cooktops, are included in the Inflation Reduction Act’s federal rebate program.
The house is perched on nine broad wood trusses to avoid cutting a single tree. The trusses also permit air and water to flow under the house, preserving the hydrology. The butterfly-shaped roof opens views to the creek and funnels rainwater into a collection system.
"Pulling the buildings apart allows what is not a big house to feel really big," says architect Jonathan Feldman of the sustainable retirement home he built for a couple in California. "Because of the ways it opens up, it feels much more expansive than it really is."