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In the living area, existing built-in seating is complemented by Mies van der Rohe lounge chairs and custom coffee tables by Michael James Moran.

The hardscaping helps keep water use to a minimum. The Lais used gravel—accented by drought-tolerant bamboo—to create their side yard.

Spanning across the backyard, the cement patio offers an idyllic oasis for private outdoor entertaining.

The dining area is furnished with Indonesian hardwood pieces from Bali Aga and lit by solar lanterns from Goal Zero. The floors are by Trex. “The whole interior can be washed down with a hose,” says James, who made the ladder that leads to the loft.

To avoid excavating the land, Pang and Boyle designed a structural platform to keep the cabin level.

On a rustic strip of coastline near Puerto Escondido, Mexico, S-AR designed a beach getaway with an open concrete grid that frames its natural surroundings.

“The pitched ceilings and ribbon of clerestory windows make the interior feel more spacious than it is,” notes Gooden.

The main wooden entrance pops against the home's sleek, all-black exterior.

The living area has a PK22 chair by Poul Kjaerholm and a Float sofa and Zoe rug from Paola Lenti’s outdoor collection. Pietre Del Nord porcelain stoneware from Emser Tile runs from the patio through the house.

At the entryway, two massive panes of frosted glass shimmer with light and shadow from the atrium inside.

The deck is framed as an open-air room where the ceiling and walls have been peeled away. The grill is a vintage Weber Genesis 1000. LG solar panels from Pick My Solar contribute to the home’s net-zero energy profile, as does a moisture barrier in the walls that allows heat to escape.

In the bedroom, a custom tie-dyed wool blanket by Project Room lies on top of linens by Coyuchi. The large painting is by John Finneran, and the Eames chair is an heirloom from Lizz’s family. The space also features a Componibili Bio nightstand by Anna Castelli Ferrieri from Kartell, along with a “Katz Ramona, Katz Ramona, Katz Ramona” painting by John Finneran and an “Untitled” painting by Jennifer Boysen.

A freestanding wall in the living area creates a divider for the entryway while concealing mechanical systems and providing storage.

Lizz’s parents—Louis, an architect, and Caren, a landscape architect—designed the house, which sits on a steep site.

A deck at Lizz Wasserman and Isaac Resnikoff’s home, in the Highland Park section of Los Angeles, features a table and planters by Isaac’s design studio, Project Room. The chairs are by Mexa Design for CB2.

A centuries-old blue oak stands near the intersection of the two wings of the house, which is clad in Alaskan yellow cedar. “We decided to split the house into two volumes to let in light and allow us to be more nimble with where we placed the structures.” Jess Field, the architect.

Furniture designer Tom Deacon teamed up with pal and architect Andrew Jones to renovate his Toronto townhouse. “Architects tend to think of the building first, the interiors second, and last, the furniture. Our approach was the opposite,” Jones says.