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“I wanted to have an office that was connected to my bedroom,” says Michael of the expansive primary suite. “It was important to me to be able to have guests, yet I could close off my own personal space when people were here.”

Light from the backyard filters in to the primary bedroom.

The design team specified durable, easy-to-maintain, nontoxic, recyclable, natural, and regenerative materials. The kitchen island is engineered quartz and the cabinets are from a local cabinetmaker.

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.

Retaining original features like the staircase and terra-cotta tiles has given the refreshed home a sense of age, says Angela. "It's a nice, grounded feeling.

The original yellow pine walls and metal handrail were refinished.

Rounded elements serve as a visual refrain throughout the house, as in the kitchen’s cabinet pulls and in one of the living room’s windows.

Off of the kitchen, the screened porch helps transition from the indoors to the outdoors, with the artist studio nearby.

Vibrant red siding references the original buildings on the site.

Four distinct structures make up the house. Their design echoes the shape of an older, gabled-roof building already on site. “We considered the neighboring construction quite interesting in terms of scale and layout,” de Carvalho says. “Due to the proximity, we felt the necessity to integrate it in the design.”

Inspired by hilltop views and traditional New England farm and barn structures, Marvin Architect's Challenge-winner Michael Waters of LDa Architecture & Interiors set out to strike the perfect balance between time-tested tradition and sophisticated, clean lines. The site includes a farmhouse-inspired residence along with a timber-framed barn and attached greenhouse, adjacent to an enclosed garden area and surrounded by a beautiful orchard.

The simple form of each volume is a nod to regional architecture, while durable materials such as white cedar and zinc contribute to a low-maintenance vacation home. The windows and doors feature a bronze anodized aluminum finish on the exterior.

Where the New Buffalo Residence now stands on a wooded lot by the shores of Lake Michigan, there used to be a serpentine ranch house with perplexingly small windows, none of which pointed toward the water. The homeowners had used it as a vacation retreat for over 30 years before an expanding family—and guest list—led them to approach architecture firm Booth Hansen for a fresh design.

The Kavner house is a California take on the classic Adirondack style of upstate New York. The main house is used every weekend and the cabins fill up at family gatherings.