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The Cor-Ten of the Perch picks up on the material language of the site's landscaping (designed by the client).

DJ Adam Cooper, educator Brianna Swan, and their dog, Chu Chu, live in the 900-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment on the ground level of a renovated back house in L.A.’s El Sereno neighborhood.

Niki Bergen and two of her children run up the hill by the guesthouse she and her partner, Andrew Zuckerman, built on their upstate New York property. The structure was designed by Levenbetts, the architecture firm also responsible for the older main house nearby.

The sod roof is angled to create a sweeping elevation on approach and is planted with grass tussocks cut from the hillside during construction. “The tussocks camouflage the house, melting it into the landscape,” explains architect Kate Brown.

The office features a combination of built-ins and furnishings that maximize space and storage.

The elongated vanity handles the linen storage, with a wood counter that syncs with the tub surround.

Yellow vinyl floor tile defines the new living room and keeps the interior from veering too industrial. “You need to offset the brick with something simple,” says Tom. “Otherwise, you get too many textures.” The lights and coffee table were found at local vintage stores.

The brick wasn’t in as good shape, so the couple painted it.

Expansive windows in the kitchen frame views of the nearby forest and meadows.

A photovoltaic roof array supplies 92% of the home’s electricity usage, with future plans to increase those capabilities with battery storage. There are also systems for rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling.

The roof is clad in natural cedar with a copper trim.

Even as the square footage of this cottage in Fayston, Vermont, shrank in response to budget constraints, architect Elizabeth Herrmann remained focused on making the space feel warm and functional for a family of four and their dog and cat. "I think the trick to making small spaces feel much larger is to design the experience of being there,

The home’s rusted Cor-Ten steel facade is set over structural insulated metal stud panel framing.

Outside the family’s home, a stone circle reveals the site of the original cistern for the property’s olive grove.

The new volume extends into the backyard but increases the house’s footprint by only 225 square feet. It is slightly taller than the existing structure, minimizing overlap between roofs. The cladding is composed of marine-grade plywood panels, colored black with Benjamin Moore’s Arborcoat exterior stain, to create an affordable facsimile of cement fiberboard panels. The patio is paved in black decomposed granite.