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Rather than use large panes of glass to open the house to the view, Louis suggested stacking rows of more conventional windows to save on cost and make cleaning easier. The cladding is tongue-and-groove cypress.

In the Dank Lounge, a film screen lowers in front of room-darkening curtains on movie nights. The deep sectional was built by Lizz and Isaac while the Blob coffee table is by Project Room, and the Scandinavian rya rug is vintage. The couple’s art collection includes works by many friends and local artists. A print by Alex Smith, along with drawings by Cammie Staros and Karl Haendel, hang in the lounge beside a painting by John Finneran and a photo by Lizz.

The squiggly Bacterio laminate by Ettore Sottsass on the kitchen countertops was dead stock, and the HEWI drawer pulls were diligently sourced on eBay.

Throughout the home, the walls and floors feature the natural grain patterns of lacquered plywood. The Stokke Tripp Trapp chair in the dining room was Lizz’s when she was growing up in the 1980s while the two Steen Ostergaard chairs were a thrift store find, and Project Room designed the table.

The aqua hue of the staircase appears again to brighten up the millwork of a built-in home office, as well as the front door.

The twisted “Segal Staircase” (“It’s almost like a ladder that spins around,” explains Jo)—a signature element in the neighborhoods’ homes—got a fresh look, with panelling in front of each stair and stabilizing poles. It also received a striking coat of turquoise paint. “I can’t remember the Pantone color, but needless to say there was a big argument about it for six months,” laughs Jo. “I guess I won.”

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.”

In their query letter, Ben and Sarah were clear that they wanted a home that could accommodate all of life’s messes. “We don't want a white display kitchen that only looks good when it's clean and not in use. We want our kitchen to be able to work hard. We love to cook and when we do, there are usually lots of things on the go and a mess being made.”

The goal: create a living space that would be connected to the garden, with great functionality. “They wanted a house they could raise children in, to the point where their children could be teenagers and adult children,” says Dovey. “They were really thinking forward into the future.”

The wood-burning fireplace on the main floor adds so much ambiance that Shelley says she finds herself wishing for cooler days so she can light it up.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food scraps and yard waste make up 20 percent of what we throw away. Composting organic materials keeps them out of the landfill, which cuts down on greenhouse gases, and enriches the soil. To compost at home, make a pile in your backyard, or introduce an indoor bin for throwaways like apple peels and eggshells.

In California's idyllic Sea Ranch community, a vacation home privileges views of the Pacific Ocean and fog-shrouded trees. The bright and airy interiors, following a crisp, Scandinavian aesthetic, are pared back to retain focus on the spectacular surroundings.

In a sophisticated main bathroom in Seattle, sea-green concrete floor tiles with a geometric pattern provide a lawn of color against wood walls and white tile. The paper lanterns are also a clear homage to the building’s Japanese inspirations.

Architect Johan Sundberg looked to Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma for inspiration for the design of a holiday home in southern Sweden. "We call it the Katsura typology, but that's probably sacrilegious," he says. The eaves of the gently sloped hipped roof extend generously in all directions, turning the deck into a covered retreat that’s part veranda, part engawa, the Japanese version of a porch.