Good Designs

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.

The Sanctuary floor plan

Long-lasting accoya siding covers the exterior, arranged with staggered vertical battens to cut a more slender, flattering profile.

Floor Plan of Ame Apartment by Atelier OLK

Karen and Brian’s home is a vibrant new addition to a block of midcentury bungalows in Vancouver, British Columbia. One of the volumes is clad in untreated tongue-and-groove Western red cedar. The other is covered in multicolored cedar shakes, which are skewed at an angle that aligns with the slope of the roof. Architect Clinton Cuddington of Measured Architecture worked with the owners to fine-tune the unconventional pattern and color palette. Concrete from the building that formerly occupied the site was repurposed for the stoop.

The eco-friendly escape is powered by solar panels and a wind turbine—and it even includes a full bath.

Hand-built by visionary architect (and surfer) Harry Gesner in 1974, the Sandcastle on the Malibu coast is listed for a steep $22.5M.