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In the dining room, the owners started with a sculptural Palais Royal Table, a Swedish design they obtained via StudioTwentySeven. Above it is a Strikha Pendant lamp by Faina, and the leather chairs are by their design team, Klein Agency. “All our pieces are produced locally here in workshops within a radius of 10 miles,” says Maša.

The cottage is wrapped in dark timber cladding that allows it to blend into the landscape, while the interior features white and natural timber finishes, making the most of the abundance of natural light to create a bright space.

The overall home is constructed with larch timber, a British wood, and features a central ridge beam that gives it a butterfly-shaped roof. Shou sugi ban was done on the wood to give it a charred finish.

The Shinomotos have filled their Southern California home with furniture by Taku and pieces by some of the artists and craftspeople whose work they also showcase at their Tortoise shops and showroom. The couple worked with architectural designer Ken Tanaka to remodel the house, once a cramped, two-bedroom rental. A sofa and tables by Taku join Jasper Morrison’s Three Sofa De Luxe sofa for Cappellini. The sliders are by Western Window Systems.

For 2015, Vipp, the Danish industrial design company known for its iconic trash cans and all-black kitchens, introduces a 592-square-foot prefab unit called Shelter.

An Ambit Rail pendant lamp from Muuto lights up the new kitchen island, which allows more room for food preparation and seating.

Multiple windows usher an abundance of natural light inside the primary bathroom suite.

With the visible structure and piping of the tub and sink, the bathroom is a visual echo of the exposed trusses in the extension.

Orange paint and blue-and-white checkerboard tiles are a gleeful match in the bathroom.

One of the few designer pieces in the home, a set of four Michael Thonet coffee house chairs, from 1859, offer a simple seating solution. The dining table, designed by Odgård, was built from a 109-year-old oak tree, which was harvested and milled locally.

To make the two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath dwelling look and feel as large as possible, Sundius and Ichiki maintained sightlines from one end to the other. "We didn’t want to disrupt the flow of the stepped ceiling as it runs the length of the building,

The architects removed decorative wood beams and wood paneling, and raised the ceiling to reveal a bright, open space. The existing fireplace mantle was swapped out for Bolection molding, a minimal-yet-traditional profile that allows more space for wall art. Hendricks installed the sconces and Noguchi lantern above the clients' wood table and chairs.

The arched motif was repeated in the new cabinet pulls, designed by Brit and fabricated by Derek out of white oak ($179). The counters are a terrazzo lookalike, the Blanco Terrazzo Solid Surfacing countertops from Formica, that the couple templated and installed themselves ($2,110). "I love the look of the solid surface countertops because I really wanted terrazzo, but it was just not in the budget to go that route," says Brit.

Brit and Derek rebuilt the island, covering one side in white penny tile. Minimalist Asime pendants by Mitzi hang overhead Tiptoe stools.

A look at the side of the home. The formal entryway, located around the corner along the front of the home, is now shielded from the road by a row of large trees.