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30E Design transformed a hallway in a Boston brownstone from a “dumping ground for all the plumbing and utilities with an existing metal ductwork laundry chute” into a modern space that houses the laundry, furnace, and boiler.

To the front, the gardens are laid around a central lawn with a circling driveway which provides parking. There is also a garage for family cars.

The view from the rear lawn towards the house. The outdoor living room is accessible from the family room (on the right) and the living room (on the left).

The large pocket doors of Mandeville Canyon House open up the corner of the living room to the concrete terrace and lawn beyond. This house, designed by Dutton Architects, is perfect for informal living and taking advantage of the southern California climate.

The Heath tiles in the bathroom were hand-selected from boxes of factory seconds.

The great room acts as a kind of fulcrum for the L-shaped house: the vaulted apex of its roof and ceiling, and a combined living-dining-kitchen space for the clients and their children to gather.

Thompson, a founding principal of Assembledge+, had recently participated in a Los Angeles Magazine project to imagine solutions for those who lack housing in the city. Their notion was for public agencies to subsidize building ADUs in backyards along alleyways, dovetailing with existing alley revitalization initiatives

The cabinetry is fabricated by a local Indian craftsman styled in the manner of modern German and Italian kitchens at a fraction of the cost.

The clients have filled Spyon Cop with a collection of vintage Mid-Century modern pieces, including the coffee table, sideboard and dining chairs.

The materials for the prefab were chosen to help the lodge blend into the wood. According to the architects, “the lodge features an intentionally limited palette of natural materials, including the same species of timber, western red cedar, on the external cladding and internal lining. Left unfinished, the exterior will weather naturally to a silver-gray color that is reminiscent of the local landscape, which will contrast the cozy, warmer tones of the interior."

New windows and their views of the trees lend a treehouse feel to the interior, which is wrapped in wood and has heated slate floors, as well as a Jotul stove. “It's a little bit lighter, a little bit more fun, but it still has a richness that goes with the house,” says Pellegrini.

In this temperate, oceanside climate, the house relies on natural ventilation, with numerous operable windows.

The expanded kitchen has a large central island, with room for prep, seating, storage, and cooking. The cabinetry is a mix of wood, Shinnoki Milk Oak, and white fronts, Fenix NTM Bianco Kos. The terrazzo counters are by Concrete Collaborative. There are two types of tiles: the Mutina Rombini fluted tile on the island and Cepac Krave Sugar Tiles on the backsplash. “It looks very mid-century modern,” says Blaine of the backsplash tile. “But in this application, it also adds that little touch of depth that I think is really important to making the house feel interesting.” The counter stools are from Hay.

Natalie and Lauren opted for high-quality finishes to ensure the kitchen would stand up to many years of use.

With its shou sugi ban exterior, high-pitched roof and monochrome palette, this family home nods to Japanese design.