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White oak slats and cork cladding give texture to the facade of a house that architect Jack Becker designed for himself and his wife, landscape architect Maddie Hoagland-Hanson, in an alley in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. High awning windows let daylight in while preserving privacy.

Cracked timber beams run the width of the house. These beams, called vigas, are typical of Southwestern adobe construction. “The earthship might be the best house I’ve ever been in. It creates a feeling that’s impossible to capture in a traditional home,” says Steve Jewett, one of the residents.

The studio opens out to a large verandah, which features a six-foot-long vintage French trough sink. The creative couple use it for soaking willow prior to weaving and washing out cyanotype prints. “We had an epic search for the right sleepers for the verandah,” says Miriam. “Eventually, we found some Jarrah sleepers. Our daughter is called Jarrah and it’s an Australian timber, so it felt right.”

A pair of architects infused their 1930 house in Montreuil with sunshine and a soothing palette. “Plants, sun, and coffee—what else does one need,” says architect Olivier Leiken

Boy Boy fabricated the framing for the flue shroud and base, which was then finished with plaster, and given a limestone benchtop. The Arto Ceramic tile extends into the kitchen, which has a preserved wood ceiling with new skylights.

Valspar ‘Black Evergreen’ covers the beams, doors, and trim. The perimeter counters are concrete, by Cement Elegance.

Nataša Stanaćev and Manu Granados of Stanaćev Granados Arquitectura designed and built this beachfront cabin in Matanzas, a rustic, windswept area of Chile, while they were living in Spain.

The team cleaned and restored all of the interior brickwork and replaced faulty insulated glass.

With the addition of a curtain, a niche above the hallway will become a guest sleeping area. The chair is from IKEA.

Many of the furnishings were made by the couple from salvaged materials. David designed and built the oak cabinetry in the kitchen, which features a Mortex-coated island.

Annemie Lathouwers grew up in a forested enclave on the outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium. A nature preserve filled with stately pines, the area lured her back when she and her husband, David D’Hulst, began thinking about trading their house in the city for greener surroundings.

Packed with personality, this retooled shed by Best Practice Architecture might just be the cutest little ADU in Texas.

“During summer there is so much greenery, and it grows and changes every day. It’s very different in the autumn and winter—even the acoustics are different,