Favorites

"How would a kid draw a house?" architect Per Franson asked himself when designing the Olivero-Reinius family home. The simple prefab structure’s unusual color comes from a traditional source: falu rödfärg, the historic mineral paint that gives the region’s famous barns their red color.

FCstudio updated the 5,000-square-foot apartment by removing several walls in central areas to clarify views and simplify the overall floor plan. The firm also custom-designed the Brazilian walnut room divider with a striking geometric pattern that allows light to traverse throughout the living area.

The bench Reilly made when she was a student at Rhode Island School of Design sits under industrial-style hooks in the entry.

The home’s kitchen anchors the home, and is a reflection of the family’s culture. “The kitchen is the space most important to this family and where they like to gather and spend time with one another,” says Johnson. Vertical white-washed cypress wraps the wall and ceiling on either side of the kitchen, complementing the warm tone of the wood frame windows.

The adjoining bathroom gets indirect daylight via openings in the brick wall and a transom window.

The adjacent bathroom was plastered to maintain the minimalist palette, and provide soothing contrast with the wood detailing everywhere else.

Floor Plan of Ridge House by Henrybuilt

The bedroom wing steps out to the pool. Cor-Ten steel encases the doors and windows, and forms the custom cantilevered canopies.

Annemie Lathouwers grew up in a forested enclave on the outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium. A nature preserve filled with stately pines, the area lured her back when she and her husband, David D’Hulst, began thinking about trading their house in the city for greener surroundings.

Designed by a little-known architect in 1949, the now streamlined home honors its original bones.

A sliding glass door in the bedroom provides direct access to the outside.

With a new baby on the way and the soon-to-be grandmother moving in, Seattleites Ilga Paskovskis and Kyle Parmentier asked Best Practice Architecture to expand their detached garage into a 570-square-foot ADU, which they now call the Granny Pad. “We can see the joy it brings Grandma when the baby comes over to visit,” says Kyle. “It’s the best part of her day.”