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“You can really feel when you’re in the interior that it is exterior when you make the windows disappear completely,” says architect Ignacio Urquiza. “They disappear completely so the interior dining and living turn into exterior. The architecture tries to not disappear, but rather to blend with the reflection of the windows.”

“He really understood that we wanted inside but outside space,” says one of the homeowners of Casa B, Federica de la Mora. “The house opens completely, so you’re both in the main dining room and outside. We like to have breakfast on terrace, so he made a special place where we have a lot of trees to have dining there. He uses nature as a complement to the house, but he doesn’t overwhelm the nature.”

“The houses are built around the rocks,” says Las Rocas Casa B homeowner Santiago Ortiz Monasterio. “We love it. He adjusted to what was there and we tried to preserve it as much as we could.”

The home's proximity to the river required extensive site preparation to comply with the requirements of the high-flood zone, to the tune of $80K.

Nestled into a favorable nook on the river bank, the house was oriented to offer optimal privacy and peace.

Airstream founder Wally Byam’s business card.

Designed by Arba, the retreat’s enclosed garden provides outdoor space out of the wind while the cuts give it a strong connection with the setting.

Shannon, who’s involved in the craft community, suggested that Caleb commission local metalsmith Erica Moody to make the hardware for the cabinetry in the entry.

Local artist John Bisbee created a decorative screen out of nails for the end of the base cabinet. Stuart built the drawers using traditional wood-on-wood slides and proportionally spaced dovetails, which operate differently in summer and winter. “Those idiosyncrasies effect the way you interact with it,” Stuart notes. “The kitchen is experiential in that way.”

The insides of the carcass are as beautiful as the exposed faces. “You can’t capture a piece of solid wood in a frame or it will expand, contract, and crack, so we re-assembled our leftover walnut strips to infill the framework,” Stuart says.

“Using only wood to form a cabinet results in artistic moments. Diagonals read as decorative, but these strong triangles are necessary when you’re not using plywood,” Caleb says. “It’s pure joy to use the kitchen, knowing that all parts of it are built with meaning and without compromise.

In the first-floor bathroom, the mermaid backsplash Caleb carved plays off the Hygge & West “Mermaid” wallpaper.

This region of Sweden is known for its artists and craftspeople, and the cottage was constructed entirely by local timber- and stone-workers. The stone stool on the deck was also made for the couple by one of their friends.