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The landscape design, by Anna Boeschenstein of Grounded, followed a 2,200-square-foot extension by Formwork architects Robert and Cecilia H. Nichols. The front door is painted in Chinese Red by Sherwin-Williams.

For a family of four, Ueda Design Studio restores the luminous-yet-drafty midcentury home of Alden Mason with warm materials and sensible restraint.

The duo’s design philosophy is influenced by the principles in Case Study Houses. They believe in creating spaces that are simple, warm, and special without the use of superfluous elements.

Feldman Architecture opens up a dark and cramped seaside house with big windows and a healthy dose of wood.

Floor plan of Michigan Lake House by Desai Chia Architecture and Environment Architects

Before: The team rearranged the floorplan so that this bathroom, formerly part of the main suite, became an en-suite for a different bedroom.

The three independent rooms upstairs were converted to a main suite with a walk-through closet at the center.

An aerial view shows the layout of the Moliving units.

Very few things are as rewarding as transforming a fixer-upper into the home of your dreams. Yet, anyone who has traveled down the path of renovation knows how windy that road can be. To help combat unforeseen challenges, we asked expert renovators what all they would consider before investing in a fixer-upper.

The guest loft features a bed from West Elm and custom plywood casework by Kansas City artisan Haynes Nichols.

“I envision people writing their books, music, refuelling their creative flow,” says Castillero. He should know about its energizing power more than anyone, really: it brought him back to his love of architecture, after all. “It’s truly my new happy place.”

Floor Plan of Woodlands Hideout by Further Society and Arbor and Co.

“The home is surrounded by water, with a leaf-shaped swimming pool on one side and the Kishwaukee River on the opposite,” Green says.