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The green plaster, a color inspired by the palette of architect Luis Barragán, now covers the stone fireplace and hearth, extending the column up to the ceiling so there’s no longer a line chopping up the wall. “It made such an incredible difference that it goes all the way to the ceiling. It draws your eye up,” says Brooke. The new built-ins are white oak, and evoke the style of what was there before.

In Los Angeles, homeowner Bill Thompson warmed up his otherwise dark living room with a series of Douglas fir slats applied above the fireplace, as well as other wood accents throughout the room; the slats provide both texture and pattern to the fireplace, acting as a focal point and emphasizing the space's vertical height.

Tigg Coll Architects took a new approach to a straightforward town house renovation and expansion in London. The home’s rear extension has its own personality, with with pivoting glass doors, sharp red support beams, and a wood-burning fireplace. The overhanging concrete plinth acts as a hearth or, as Tigg imagines it, a sort of contemporary inglenook. Wood piles neatly between the beam and wall. The fireplace, a Stovax Riva 2, is flanked by a Lampe Gras wall lamp; firewood is cleverly stored in the narrow space between the fireplace and the red support beam, creating a fun moment of practical texture in the room.

"Last summer, our kids had the thrill of catching crawfish in the lake, which was pure nostalgia for me. My side of the family is from Louisiana, and boiling live crawfish was something I never thought we’d be doing in California,

Bess describes the original stain of the house as a "muted mustard yellow,

"I thought if we made a beautiful plaster hood garage, your eye would go directly there, rather than to the functional soffit that runs the perimeter of the kitchen walls,

The media console and coffee table are from Sobu, while the rug is from Armadillo. A vintage chair sits near the fire.

"We covered the entire stone fireplace in 80 pounds of grout and then painted it in a corresponding warm white color to match the new walls,

The kitchen features custom-lacquered cabinets with white oak handles and, in lieu of upper cabinets, a wall niche to display dishes.

The shower went from claustrophobic to open and airy, thanks to a new glass enclosure.

The piecemeal flooring that changed from room to room was swapped out for white oak, and the front door, side lite, and trim all updated.

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 Sanctuary floor plan

Natalie and Lauren wanted to replicate the feel of a Zen garden with their home’s central courtyard. The garden features a Japanese maple that pops against the charred timber cladding, while structurally, the U-shape design ushers light right through to the back of the house.

Tom and team tackled the poured concrete counters themselves – the concrete, mesh form, and edge forms set them back only about $340. The matte black kitchen faucet is from Brizo, and the corner shelves are pine from a local mill, supported by floating brackets from Shelfology.