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The house has no mechanical ventilation, only Hunter ceiling fans and opposing awning windows.

In the master bedroom, the same perforated material that was used in the bathroom gives a sense of sunlight filtering through leaves.

When architects Melissa and Jacob Brillhart set out to design a home for themselves in downtown Miami they drew inspiration from a wide range of sources, including the city's trademark postwar tropical modernism, glass pavilion typology, and the classic dogtrot model. The resulting home features an elaborate red cedar shutter system, which produces a stunning interplay of shimmering light in the front patio.

“The client wanted an interior space where you could read the materiality of the building elements like understanding the ingredients in a recipe,” principal architect Elizabeth Webster explains. The extension features distinctly textured materials: an exposed timber ceiling, painted brick walls, and polished concrete floors. Warm lighting by Brinklicht unifies the space.

Aerial view of houses in Elizabeth, New Jersey

Windows frames the architect’s built-in desk, which overlooks the water. In the corner, a cast iron wood stove provides heat on dreary days. And opposite the workstation, there’s a single bunk that folds down from the wall. It also doubles as a couch when the family wants to use the space for backyard hang outs.