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

The master bedroom has chairs by Hay and a Wittus stove. The ceiling is a custom blue from Benjamin Moore. “It changes in response to what’s happening outside more than any other surface,” says Kathy.

Architect David Dowell and his wife, Kathy, took a decade to determine what they wanted to do with the historic 12-acre property they bought in eastern Kansas. The couple eventually opted to renovate and expand the modest limestone cottage that was already there. The resulting 1,250-square-foot getaway sits on the rolling plain amid elm, silver maple, and eastern red cedar trees. “You don’t have to choose between old and new,” says David. “It’s a false construct in our brain to even think that way.”

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

A flagstone patio is furnished with a table and chairs from Mater.

“I don’t paint landscapes when I’m here because I can’t compete with the natural beauty,” says Yael.

Yanki and Yael (pictured), both from Israel, have lived in idyllic locales before—notably a home in Usonia, the forested community planned by Frank Lloyd Wright and his followers—but none, in their estimation, compares to this one. In the kitchen, a Wall Lamp by Workstead hangs above the Terrazzo countertops by Kaza.

Inside, the flooring is radiant concrete, and the home is further warmed with a clean-burning Flores 8 stove by Buntfires. In fact, the entire house is conditioned without the use of fossil fuels.

Design, Bitches turns a typical Atwater Village home into a lush hideaway with a new, cedar-clad guesthouse.

Top 9 Gardens of 2020: The verdant spaces nominated for the Dwell Design Awards help enliven their biophilic homes.