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The new prefab unit is located just a few meters from the main home—a thatched-roof cottage that dates back to the 1950s. “The dark color of the cladding blends into the dark hedges in the garden, so the unit doesn’t attract too much attention,” says Vriesema.

Simple oak furnishings from Habitat blend with the birch millwork and bamboo floor. The cabinetry, benches, and doors were built by Olivier, who studied design before becoming a filmmaker.

Pernilla collaborated with local craftspeople to utilize different types of woodwork throughout the house. The facade’s vertical spruce panels were sourced nearby, and the steel roof was manufactured in the area.

The door to the left was added in the remodel, to increase air flow and facilitate better circulation for groups. The threshold is painted green, in a nod to an image seen in the Barbican Residents: Inside the Iconic Brutalist Estate. The wall oven are by Bosch.

LAMAS Architecture kept the peaked roof in the recent renovation, as the clients had no desire to change it back to a flat roof, and wanted to generate their own electricity. Now, there's a large solar array on the south-facing roof of the Honer addition.

The tiered brick fireplace is original to the home.

Aster + Maine lupine exterior view

Surrounded by cedars on Vancouver’s North Shore, the Japanese-inspired home was originally designed as an artist retreat.

To pick a site for the buildings, Matt used his drone to scan the site and then Daybreak created a 3D model to test out options for placement.

The biggest savings here were found in labour: Liz and Matt got hands on with almost everything, and called in favors for the electric work.

"I believe that if there’s a place for everything then nothing is out of place, and I’ve tried to incorporate that into a lot of the furniture design and functionality,