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The space between the original house (on the left) and the new addition (on the right) holds a small shade garden. "We kept all the original windows in place," says homeowner and architect Eric Hughes. "We didn't want to lose that natural light."

Accessed through floor-to-ceiling glass sliders, the kitchen and living room open to terraces, which the family reserves for crafting. Their floors are covered in durable Pavestone Pewter Concrete Step Stones, which cost roughly $3.19 per 16-inch paver. Emilie attributes the home’s ample natural ventilation to the balconies as well as to its tall, thin profile, a choice made to keep the overall building footprint small.

Floor Plan of the Wooden Wedge by Douglas Peterson-Hui

The Anza Airstream was designed to feel more open than other trailers, with little upper cabinetry.

This studio features wraparound, floor-to-ceiling windows to let in natural light.

What Carstensen saved on labor costs he was able to put into furnishings. The interior of the screened-in porch is outfitted with a mix of furnishings, both vintage and new. He purchased the vintage Malm fireplace in Los Angeles on a work trip and had it shipped to Portland. The rug, shelf unit, and loveseat are all from the locally-based Schoolhouse Electric, as are the ceiling lights: Factory Light No. 7 in Green.

A view looking from the kitchen to the open family room, which is outfitted with sofas by Perez Furniture. Above, interior windows in the upstairs bedrooms look out onto the double-height dining area and a view out of the giant window wall.

Colorful Ceramica Vogue tile steals the show on the home’s expanded upper level.

When Rob and Mary Lubera started pulling threads to uncover the origins of their new home—the lone midcentury house amid rows of Tudor Revivals in suburban Detroit—not even architecture scholars could have anticipated what they would find. Theirs is the last surviving residence by Alexander Girard (1907–1993), a modernist visionary who made his name in textiles but tried his hand at virtually everything, architecture included. The shoji-like laminate screens, seen in the entryway, are characteristic of his Japanese-influenced work.

In Australia, a manufacturer and an architecture firm create an off-grid home that can be broken down and shipped across the world.