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Floor plan of the Cabin at Whidbey Island by Maggie Smith Design

The single-volume home has been designed to appear to float over the lot on its deck. Ryan upgraded the existing foundation to support its passive design. "Originally, I wanted to make the whole house powered with wood pellets," he says. "But I decided against shoveling pellets in the snow. I'll get weird in a little bit less of a cold climate."

After: The second bedroom is now a sunroom and TV lounge, and Michelle's favorite space in the home.

The backsplash and counters are marble, which will patina overtime. The couple found the handwoven rug while traveling in Morocco.

The angled roof over the new fitness room extends to cover the outdoor kitchen and dining room, but is punctured by strategically placed skylights.

Twenty-foot sliders flank the living/dining area, providing spectacular views in both directions. The painting is by Randi Mork-Ulnes, Casper’s mother.

An oculus-like central skylight hangs overtop the great room.

The master bedroom features an antique Norwegian bed rebuilt by Strønes Snekkerversksted.

The master bathroom is encased in wood, from the floors and shower walls, to the vanity and toilet button plate. A small door opens to the outside.

Typography guru Erik Spiekermann and his wife, designer Susanna Dulkinys, hate clutter. That’s why they love the super-sleek Berlin domicile they constructed to have just the right lines—and a host of energy-saving features behind the scenes. The stainless-steel Bulthaup kitchen "cost as much as a small house," said Spiekermann, though he did get a discount: Bulthaup is one of his clients.

Windows offer wraparound views in the master bedroom. The nightstands and bed are from the Matera line by Sean Yoo for Design Within Reach; the Stem lamps are from Rejuvenation. The last owner painted the walls Gentleman’s Gray by Benjamin Moore.

The new primary bathroom, clad in Fireclay Terre Verte wall and floor tiles, took advantage of its increased square footage to add a freestanding tub. It gives way to a new enclosed deck and outdoor shower.

The redesigned kitchen maintained plenty of cupboard space by taking better advantage of the left wall for storage, including, near the window, a cupboard from which the hidden TV unfolds.

“Metaphorically, the cabin’s exterior is like a cut log,” Lane says. “The black-stained Western red cedar is the bark, and the Douglas fir siding under cover is the exposed wood once the log has been cut.” Beyond the house and native sod gardens, a meadowscape blends into the mature pine forest at the lakefront. “We wanted a woodland garden quality,” landscape architect Soren deNiord says.

La Cantina doors slide open for a seamless connection between the living spaces and the outdoors.

The kitchen sits underneath a workloft accessible by a wooden ship's ladder. Callie's dad Trevor Hilpert fabricated the ladder and much of the loft casework in his San Juan Island woodshop.

Now, built-in sofas line the perimeter of the room and utilize the room’s shape better.

A family of architects teamed up to bring sunshine to every corner of their 650-square-foot flat in Madrid.