Favorites

He worked around existing oak and eucalyptus trees for the new building, and retained the vernacular of an original barn, at right, where Frankel hosts concerts. Check out MVRDV's Balancing Barn.

The ground pool level of the house features a game room, entertaining area, wet bar, and gym for the young family of five.

Not every client-designer relationship would have thrived under such extreme circumstances, but Dovey credits Sarah and Ben’s attitude for the project’s success. “They were observant and thoughtful, and really took the time to ask all the right questions,” says Dovey. “In the end, it went so well just because of the great relationships.”

Perched below the Griffith Observatory and overlooking Hollywood is a lush lot crowned with four towering olive trees and a 1965 home designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood. When a young couple purchased the home in 2018, it needed substantial work. For a historic restoration, they called on Woods + Dangaran, a local firm fluent in modernist history. The team completed a meticulous restoration of the home while keeping original components like the linear shape, open plan, and expansive windows. One of the most striking features is the original koi pond (a feature deemed so essential that its preservation was a condition of escrow) that is now crossed via a bridge that leads to a new lap pool—perhaps the biggest intervention on the property.

The family home that residents Tyler Lepore, Lisa Giroday, builders Hanson Land & Sea, and September Architecture devised in the Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, is wrapped with cedar and brick, tying to its wooded surround, which is only a four-minute walk to the ocean. "The house feels like it's part of the setting,

The couch bases pull out to become a queen-sized bed and a retractable screen pulls down for privacy – and movie nights.

In addition to beds, the family needed more lounge space, so the team added a couch to the living area.

The new palette utilizes white oak wood floors and tabletops, white plastic laminate, aluminum, Scalamandre fabric leftover from the couple’s home remodel, and surprisingly, Carrara marble.

After living with the original exterior for a while, Bryan had the shell buffed to its natural silver finish. “I think it's the most gorgeous thing in the world,” says Bryan of the Airstream’s iconic shape.

Inlays in the red oak floor mark the new threshold.

Scardulla says that in design, it’s critical to build with your hands “because you change how you see things,

"It's not close to highways,

A bed built into the bathroom wall pulls down to replace the sofa. An Olio teapot designed by Barber Osgerby sits on the counter.

The simplicity of the structure, in form and materiality, amplifies the dramatic mountain views and feelings of solitude. "We called it the hermitage because it’s a getaway,

Floor plan of Lake Pepin Farmhouse by TEA2 Architects