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Brian and Melissa's two young children spend hours playing in the yard. With Melissa's mother in a house on the same property, the kids have easy access to Grandma whenever she's in town. "It's such a unique experience having multiple generations together," Brian says. "If the kids get up early, they can just run over to Melissa's mom's and spend time with her."

The en-suite is lined with storage. Here, the cabinets, made by Alessia and her partner, follow the line of the ceiling. An internal window looks into the stairwell and connects the spaces.

Alessia’s favorite detail? “I am not a huge fan of handles, so there are only three cuts [in the cabinetry] which lets you open six doors.”

With its stucco facade and steel-framed, arched windows, Plaster Fun House is an architectural anomaly amidst the cottages and 1960s brick residences of Torrensville in South Australia.

the kitchen is at the center of the living space

A view into the airy, light-filled kitchen of 51 Nebraska by Todd Davis Architecture. The updated midcentury home pays homage to its roots.

“We chose a gray veined marble (Vermont Royal Danby, from ABC Worldwide) for the kitchen counter,” Barker says. “We found bleached walnut floors from Madera to tie the parlor floor together.”

Open shelving provides a rustic touch and a place to store some of the family's beautiful kitchenware.

The renovated kitchen is downstairs on the garden level and features a Bertazzoni range, a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator, and Silestone quartz countertops. A door opens to the outdoor space.

Long Cabin Kitchen.

Kitchen view

The open kitchen is bright and airy with updates which include a marble-topped island, stainless steel appliances, and a stylish tile backsplash.

The owners of this home selected a geometric-patterned glass tile backsplash by Island Stone. The glass tile keeps the space bright, and the pattern adds interest.

Though this kitchen fits in with its period surroundings, a few tweaks keep it current. “It’s functional in a way that doesn’t feel like the kitchen is in the living room,” says architect Rick Black. He explains, “One of the goals was to make the islands more like furniture than like heavy objects that go all the way to the floor.”

The kitchen continues the simple palette seen in the rest of the house, with wood floors, countertops, and stools. The cabinets and backsplash are glossy white, and the appliances are stainless steel.

Launech teaches cooking classes in the house, and the mobile countertops make it easy for her to configure the kitchen to her tastes.