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The guest bedroom, located on the south side of the site, overlooks a Japanese pine tree.

Inspired by skateboards, the swing seats are made of European oak. “At first we tried bigger boards, but you can’t sit on them,” Parzyszek says.

Amy requested a quiet, sunny reading nook with a view; In Situ obliged with a built-in bench housing her collection of books.

One new room (the bottom bunk)

Detail

The desk spans both rooms between the window and the bed structure

Project rendering

Now UC It In the kids’ rooms, the couple has made fine use of UC Santa Cruz dorm furniture—beds, armoires, and desks have gotten a second life off-campus, and Tershy and Zavaleta report that after enduring years of freshmen, the pieces ably stand up to their kids. Outside the upstairs office, an old couch holds court on a small balcony with great views to the south.

This small cabin provides plenty of sleeping space. Below the built-in bunk lies a foldable bed, which can be converted into a table when not in use.

Bunk beds and built-in storage in the attic.

A floor-to-ceiling sliding door offers direct access to the patio and yard. A yellow custom-built reading nook packs a playful punch of bold color, and certainly brightens up the gray days that the Pacific Northwest is known for.

On one side of the house, a white central staircase leads to a split-level landing the Robertsons call "the reading room." "We needed a place to hang out and for the kids to read," explains owner Vivi Nguyen-Robertson. Awaiting the birth of the couple's son, she relaxes in a built-in reading nook in the library.

Have your children help you go through their book collections and pick out what books they haven't read yet. If you are able to safely leave your home, you can coordinate curbside dropoff book exchanges with friends.