Good Designs

With its concrete curves, charred timber and steel fence, the exterior is impressive while maintaining Lachie's privacy.

The Shed/House sits atop a small hillside, part of a property the Redington family is restoring with native vegetation.

Near the front door, charred oak treads float on a blackened steel stringer to the master suite and on to the roof.

Evoking shou sugi ban, the cedar exterior has a Benjamin Moore Arborcoat stain.

While the original house had a full glass facade, the addition uses windows in specific areas to draw your attention to the smaller details.

Vintage furnishings are scattered throughout the renovation including the casita’s Moroccan rug as well as a sofa and chair covered in linen

The home's emphasis on transparency and maximizing daylight helps soften the heavy materiality of the block construction.

The home's three levels are framed by large planters containing fruit trees and other vegetation. The custom block makes up all of the home's exterior walls.

After a fire ravaged the site in rural Portugal, architect Miguel Marcelino designed this country house on its existing stone garden terraces.

"You can see that language is still there with the sort of two pitched roofs. There is another pitched roof behind that as well, which is the main extension at the back of the house, but you can't really see it from the street,

Floor Plan of Bungalow Blonde by LiteraTrotta Architecture

A compact bar concealed behind the bleached joinery is one of those smaller moments offering delight on reveal.

Warm curves resound throughout the kitchen, offsetting the angularity of the bungalow's original pitched rooves.

"The floor is oak from Tongue and Groove, and the cabinetry is actually a polytech product that's really practical, especially for kitchens because it's harder to damage than veneer,

Now, a generous entranceway draws the eye to the evocative curves of the sculptural spiral staircase, illuminated by abundant daylight thanks to a skylight above.

Homeowners Toni and Graeme sit on the patio with their dog Bokkie. An exterior conversation pit is the most popular spot in the house. A gas grill and pizza oven are built into the back brick wall. The countertop to the left of the wood storage nook is made with leathered Zimbabwean Granite.

Katz installed a layer of high-density foam under the rooftop garden to better insulate the house. "With the climate here, if you insulate the place well, you need very little energy to heat or cool it," he says.