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A large metal floating mirror from Restoration Hardware seemingly doubles the 675 square feet of the Schmidt-Friedlander apartment in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. The family of three dines at an oak table from Canvas Home, with Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner. Decorators White paint by Benjamin Moore and oiled Hakwood European oak flooring are used throughout.

To meet the project’s sustainability goals and minimize impact to the site, the prefab was built off-site, has an impermanent foundation, smart-home controls, and a 4.1 kW solar array.

"We did our best to tuck the buildings into the site—the goal was to get up high on a perch. It was a matter of setting that elevation and working back down with the topography," says architectural designer Riley Pratt.

My Cabin launched after Draugs couldn't find a prefab structure he'd want to vacation in. The exterior is made of spruce, which can be stained according to customer specifications.

"In some ways the strongest attributes of the house are probably the outside spaces,” says Court. The original cedar deck was replaced with Kebony decking that wraps around a century-old cherry tree. A pair of Andy rockers from Mamagreen face an ottoman by Kenneth Cobonpue. The accordion doors are a NanaWall SL-60 system that allows the main room of the guesthouse to open completely to the deck.

The overlapping roofs rest on structural timber window frames, allowing for column-free views through the interior.

The result of the project is an artfully arranged house that looks out on open fields (protected by a land trust) and the rolling landscape beyond. “The only downside is that the area is farmed, so we get manure smells,” Doug jokes.

“We realized that having a circular house allowed us to take advantage of all of the views, as well as the topography and the solar exposure to the south,” explains Heid.

The sculptural, Escher-like stair is crafted from plywood, which features a lapped detail for ease of installation. Existing structural elements—such as the columns—were exposed to reveal what the architects call "the mechanics of the renovation".

A dramatic landscape demands a dramatic building. Southwest facing deck of Starship House

The existing Ikea cabinet boxes received new Semihandmade fronts: the DIY Flat Slab painted Benjamin Moore's “Revere Pewter.” The butcher block was replaced with a Ceaserstone Empira White slab, and the wood shelves were preserved, though received new brass brackets. The brass hardware is from Rejuvenation and the pendant is the Pirlo from Tech Lighting. The new zellige tile is from Riad, in the Natural White color.

No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.

To complement the white-washed custom cabinetry in her kitchen, architect Julie Salles Schaffer has designed a tile backsplash to resemble "melting butter in a white pan." Daltile arranged her two-color AutoCAD design—white and off-white—onto a mesh backing for a small fee. To soften the edges of the cabinets’ drawers and doors, Schaffer requested radial edging.

A Boston loft in a former textile factory receives a minimal, efficient kitchen at the hands of Bunker Workshop. The client wanted to be able to prepare meals efficiently, so a red steel pegboard backsplash lets him easily access cooking utensils. The cabinets are IKEA.

The kitchen anchors the home as the central hub — cementing its importance in the family’s life. With light streaming in from the skylight above, a circular island includes recessed Bocci outlets at the perimeter to power dedicated workstations for Meera’s baking classes. “I love the kitchen. It’s probably my favorite spot,” she says. “Baking brings me joy.”

- New Haven, Connecticut Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017