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Off-Grid Guesthouse by Anacapa Architecture

Thanks to a prefab in-law unit, an octogenarian modernist lives independently on a peaceful, verdant site in Northern California.

Connect 5 House Floor Plan: A Kitchen / B Dining Room / C Living Room / D Master Bedroom / E Bathroom / F Bedroom / G Utility Room / H Deck.

The cabin has charcoal-colored metal siding and a punchy yellow-green front door for contrast.

Up-and-coming Argentinian architect Florencia Rissotti’s first built-from-scratch residence is an homage to simple living.

The Ki cabins, which is named after the Japanese word for tree, are nestled among light oak trees around the two-mile lake on the estate’s Hill Wood plots.

“We pulled apart one volume and staggered it along the buildable area of the property,” says architect Matthew Ahlberg of Portland firm Barrett Made. The home is clad in unfinished cedar, meant to weather over time.

The expansive windows offer unparalleled views of La Plata peak while also providing lots of natural light to the living room and kitchen.

The Fish Camp acts as the couple’s forest getaway, just a quarter mile from their main house.

While shopping for containers, Hill was instantly drawn to this one’s existing blue color and chose to buy it and leave it as is. Poteet added floor-to-ceiling sliding doors to allow light in, as well as a cantilevered overhang to shade a window on the left side, which houses a small garden storage area.

The platform bed can also come with a headboard and underbed storage.

The elevated modular home is clad in locally sourced radiata pine treated with a stone-gray oil stabilizer.

“The pitched ceilings and ribbon of clerestory windows make the interior feel more spacious than it is,” notes Gooden.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

Sherry, Anthony, and their children, Zuri and Mateo, make the most of the kitchen and dining area in their new home. Harbour chairs by Menu surround a Tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. The A-Beam pendant is from Hand&Eye, and the ceramics are by Gopi Shah. Appliances include a Fisher & Paykel stove and a wine cooler from KitchenAid.

Floor plan of Crestview Residence by HR Design Dept