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“One of the most important elements is the kitchen counter,” says architect Iana Vicq. “We presented a tiled island with a tiled countertop but they wanted something more practical as they cook so often, so we decided to use a Corian countertop.” The high-performance surface cost $5,750.

A woodstove from Osburn helps heat the living area, but passive solar gain from a wall of southeast-facing windows means it’s rarely a necessity. The outdoor furniture is from the Modern by Dwell Magazine collection, a collaboration with Target from 2016.

The floors are a thin layer of concrete—the maximum the floor joists could bear—with a black epoxy-concrete microtopping. In the living/dining area and kitchen, it was eventually covered with Marmoleum. “The black surface turned out to be a magnet for white dog hair,” says Karrie.

A full exterior remodel of the older house allowed Cornuelle and Tall Firs to match its siding and trim to the new ADU. They designed a front door with a circular cut-out, bringing a modern touch to the traditional entry.

Built in 1894, Cornuelle’s main house was one of the oldest in Portland, Oregon’s Woodlawn neighborhood.

Cornuelle, who’s from Hawaii, chose both older and contemporary Hawaiian art for the walls.

The outdoor dining nook echoes the interior curves in the back corner of the garden. "Built-in seats just generally give you more space, basically,

The trailer's original twin bed now serves as a reading nook with sliding polycarbonate partitions. For storage, the couple created cubbies for milk crates fixed with wood cutouts.

Renovated in stages over the course of a decade, a home in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood proves the power of thoughtful design using humble materials.

The house has two full kitchens, one on each floor. The downstairs kitchen—the one for “the riffraff,” jokes John—is reached through an original pointed arch and features blue and white concrete tiles from Granada Tile and bright white cabinetry. A selection from John’s extensive collection of glass purses is on display above the open shelving. “I love Murano glass and came across these inexpensive purses on eBay and Etsy, so I just started collecting them,” he explains. “Mitchell had the idea to mount them on the wall and make them into planters.”

Sara Bjurbäck and Jonathan Strömberg kitted out a used cargo vehicle to realize their vanlife fantasy on a budget.

In addition to being surrounded by olive trees, the property is also bordered by a stream and dotted with ancient rock formations, enhancing the overall sense of peace and privacy.

They kept the existing concrete exterior, but painted it white. There's a separate entrance to their home, and another to the office, which are directly on the street. The windows are from Schuco.

A Sub-Zero refrigerator is set into the corner of the kitchen, with quartzite countertops across a sky-blue island.

The kitchen takes up the entire back wall of the ground level, ensuring that there's always enough room for whoever stops by.