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In their query letter, Ben and Sarah were clear that they wanted a home that could accommodate all of life’s messes. “We don't want a white display kitchen that only looks good when it's clean and not in use. We want our kitchen to be able to work hard. We love to cook and when we do, there are usually lots of things on the go and a mess being made.”

Light pours into the renovated kitchen from all directions, with the breezy natural palette transforming the room into a warm and inviting family space. After removing walls, the dated and mismatched floors became an eyesore, with Leah opting to replace them with Hakwood Engineered European Oak floors in ‘Aura,’ which run throughout the home.

The new kitchen features ceiling-to-countertop tiles in a grid pattern, which reappears throughout the home. The globe flush mount overhead is from Anthropologie, while the hardware is from Altas Homewares and Alno Hardware.

The open-plan kitchen, dining and living room honors the home's original design and heroes the existing stone wall.

The clients have a large collection of indoor plants, and 4 S Architecture designed a scheme with plenty of spots to display plants, from the deep windowsills to the semi-recessed extractor above the island that features an integrated shelf. “We had originally specified a fully flush extractor system, but they are very expensive,” says architect, Julia Hamson. “We went for one that is semi-recessed, so was cost effective but still has less visual impact than a dropped extractor.”

A skylight was added to bring in more light, and the existing ceilings painted Benjamin Moore ‘Black Tar’ for contrast. The island pendant is the Schoolhouse Ray 17” Pendant and the stools are the Artek Aalto High Chair K65.

When the couple purchased the home, there was no landscaping besides some local shrubs and Joshua trees. They decided to give the backyard a calming vibe with a saltwater hot tub. "It’s an invigorating experience, showering and soaking under an open sky so close to nature," she says. The saltwater uses fewer chemicals than chlorine, and helps relieve swelling and aching joints for hikers.

mezzanine level is currently staged as a bedroom.

Now, an eight-foot sliding door brings light into the kitchen and enables fluid movement between inside and out. The wider steps can serve as seats during a party, and they make for a graceful transition to the yard.

The walls are covered in Milestone cement plaster.

A multiuse room on the second floor functions as a meeting room for the office, a secondary living room, and a guest bedroom. The original pine flooring was restored as part of the renovation.

One of the key challenges was developing a scheme that would allow flexibility in its current use and also for the future. "The setup is currently perfect for my lifestyle," says owner-designer Uli Wagner. "In retrospect, it was also a solution during the pandemic and various lockdown levels—and I’m sure the setup would be favorable for other small businesses and their owners."

Josie’s tepee playhouse stands on a platform, where she and her friends erect sets for their theatrical productions.

From their bedroom, Hadley and Peter can gaze out at the canyon wall or up through a skylight at the clouds and stars.

Out of The Valley just completed their latest project, the Holly Water Cabin—and it’s available for rent.

Peter Braithwaite Studio crafted this peaceful retreat for a couple in Seabright, Nova Scotia.

Winkelman Architecture delivers grown-up summer-camp vibes with this unassuming retreat on the coast of Maine.

Now available for less than $99,000, ANNA is a flat-pack retreat whose inner and outer shells glide along tracks.