Gilbert House

living room

great room

The 2,500-square-foot house has an open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area. Criss Cross Ball pendant lamps by George Nelson cover the ceiling. The kitchen features Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances and a backsplash of Heath tile.

Mid-century, living room

The L-shaped lot—and the decision to create a private courtyard and patio—made the kitchen and dining space the natural hub of the ground floor. Sweet installed full-length cabinetry on the western wall for storage, and included a wood niche for convenience.

Austin-based architecture firm Thoughtbarn set out to renovate an H-shaped residence in a wooded, hilly neighborhood known for its midcentury, ranch-style homes, but quickly discovered that the home’s slab was structurally failing and would need to be replaced. This replacement ultimately led to the construction of a new home based on the footprint of the original—but with a small addition to the south. The exterior is clad in board-and-batten siding, while the front porch is covered with stained pine. Both materials have a vertical emphasis, which speaks to the heritage oak trees on the .75-acre property.

When it hit the market, this 2,660-square foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home hadn’t been updated in more than 60 years, but the homeowner saw its inherent charm and called on architects Rick and Cindy Black and Christina Simon of Mark Ashby Design for a complete renovation. Some of the biggest challenges included "figuring out how to integrate the living room, which was once a carport that had been closed in at some point," says Rick Black. "A brick wall separated it from the other areas, and it was really a dead room." Another consideration was respecting the home’s history and its bones and choosing an aesthetic that matched the homeowner’s active lifestyle. Other updates included terrazzo flooring and built-in furniture.

Originally designed by locally renowned architect Arthur Dallas Stenger, this 1960s home featured an unusual awning that was maintained during a 21st-century upgrade by architects Rick and Cindy Black. The architects partially reconfigured the interior layout, updated the kitchen, and added new doors to the porch, all the while making sure the adjustments to the house honored its midcentury provenance while still avoiding creating a time capsule.

"The rear yard, given the property's limited size, presented more of a conundrum," says Southerland. "We came up with the idea of using the roof of the garage as a roof deck to add useable area to the rear." Taking advantage of the gently sloped site, he built a series of terraced bleacher-style seating above and around the detached garage, doubling its roof as an additional terrace, and effectively bridging the backyard space into one multi-level whole.

Portland-based pastry chef Andrea Nicholas purchased a 1953 midcentury ranch whose 2,500 square feet needed "a lot of TLC." Nicholas hired architect Risa Boyer to design the renovation, which involved opening up the kitchen to the dining room and creating a contemporary open-plan living space.

The entry to the 1953 midcentury ranch was reworked by Boyer. To the left, the popped-out window box contains a built-in bench which is part of the home office nook.

A series of skylights filters light from above and strengthens the relationship to the site and nature.

The open plan layout features a double-height central space.

The plan of this house in British Columbia by Vancouver architects Heather Howat and David Battersby of BattersbyHowat Architects revolves around a rocky outcropping lush with life that acts as the home’s central atrium. The granite was left intact in order to serve as the nucleus of the courtyard, and the walls of windows draw a wealth of natural daylight into the back of the building.

“My team and I are big fans of Marvin products,” says Anderson. “Designed and manufactured here in Minnesota, they’re ideal for local modern and traditional homes and cabins, as well as our other projects across the country.”