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Architect Mark Fullgar chose corrugated steel, aluminum window frames, and strengthened glass—cost-effective, non-combustible materials, given the cabin’s location in a rural fire zone.

When Libby May and Eoghan Mahony purchased a 1950s post-and-beam house in Los Angeles’ Santa Monica Canyon, they envisioned someday transforming the garage and adjoining workshop into livable space, with an office for each of them and a family room they could share with their sons, Wes, 14, and Duncan, 10.

On Vashon Island, about 20 miles southwest of Seattle, architect Seth Grizzle designed a 440-square-foot multiuse structure for his clients Bill and Ruth True.

After months of waiting for approvals to build a house in Sintra, Portugal, artist Chris Saunders decided to pivot, commissioning a custom tiny home on wheels from architecture studio Madeiguincho.

The lofted bedroom’s low plywood walls make the space simultaneously open and cozy. Plywood also clads the ceiling, a cohesive design thread the homeowners love. “The enveloping plywood is gorgeous – we find ourselves meditating on the angles, the wood grain, and the way the light washes over it at various times of day,” they muse.

Exposing structural materials as finish materials created valuable cost savings. The structural concrete floors and exposed second floor framing strengthen the overall aesthetic, while eliminating the need for drywall or additional flooring.

Lofted bedroom

The ipe wood mat feels really great on the toes

In the kitchen, Eames chairs flank a custom dining table, and the pendant is by Wever & Ducré.

Exposed laminated strand lumber (LSL) joists and painted brackets introduce texture and color while keeping material costs down.

Jorge’s parents’ house is across the patio. “We believe we’re onto something here in terms of a societal shift,” says Jorge. “Not everyone wants to live in an apartment or condo. They can live in a home that’s part of a family compound.”

Modern kitchen with a minimal palette

Pink Salmon by Glidden.

The home is clad in corrugated iron coated with Zincalume. “We chose the cladding so we could curve the metal sheets and create barrel vaulted roofs,” says architect William Samuels. “The finish gives a natural reflection to the surface of the house, picking up on the colors of the surrounding bush and the changing daylight.”

Curtis completely overhauled the shelving, changing the shapes of the niches and covering them in micro-cement.

Maximizing a 280-square-foot plot, House Tokyo by Unemori Architects makes clever use of ceiling heights and half levels.

The home office is designed to be easily installed on foundation screws, which don’t require digging or a concrete foundation.