HomeSweetHome

Tomecek Studio’s Container House in Nederland, Colorado, is a 1,500-square-foot residence anchored into a rock outcropping. The dwelling—which comprises two insulated shipping containers clad in fireproof plank siding—is powered by photovoltaic rooftop panels and takes advantage of passive solar strategies to keep energy demands to a minimum.

Floor plan of Centered Home by HYCArch & aalso architecture

When the trees leaf out, the overhauled guest cabin, the couple’s “Scandinavian dream cabin in the woods,” is hidden from view from the main house, making for a private retreat.

Floor Plan of Boathouse on Stony Lake by Gregory Neudorf

White oak paneling lines the sleeping loft.

Adjacent to the bedroom, the airy and luminous bathroom is an inviting retreat. All of the home’s custom plywood cabinetry features integrated finger holes in lieu of cabinet pulls, keeping the overall aesthetic sleek and streamlined.

Many design details, big and small, contribute to the subtle elegance of the design. The walls include a baseboard reveal, a sleek design detail that also eliminates the need for trim. Light switches were sited lower than what is typically seen in residential homes, at “hand height” – which while being ergonomical, also creates cleaner sightlines.

The outdoor space includes a fire pit.

Bought for their first Berlin apartment, Elena and Roland’s chandelier from TK Lighting incorporates a rack with clear bottles for dispersing light. The ceilings of the Steins’ current apartment are too low to accommodate it, so the fixture was in storage until it was installed in the Seeland house’s double-height kitchen.

Architect Line Solgaard, founder of the eponymous Oslo- and Fredrikstad-based firm, designed a getaway for her family in the place where she grew up. Untreated, exposed concrete pairs with cedar cladding; custom, oak-paneled ceilings; and a glass roof in the center of the home that opens like a sunroof for natural ventilation.

In the newly constructed volume, the living room of the ADU would double as an art gallery, connected to—or closed off from—the rest of the residential wing via a pocket door. Separate entrances to the gallery and living/sleeping zones would allow private access for a future renter or caregiver, or the couple’s adult children when they visited.

Pea gravel covers the walkways and outdoor dining area, eliminating the busy grout lines that pavers sometimes have.

A closer look at the renovated kitchen, which features a large picture window and a beloved chandelier that once hung in the couple's first Berlin apartment.

A small storage area forming the house's base was clad in creek stones found onsite, and room was left for the creek's occasional return during high rains.

A small attic loft was tucked above the second bedroom, so Claudia and Ivan's kids could bring their friends.

The fenced-in yard includes an outdoor dining area and another seating setup with a fire pit.

The open-plan living area comprises an open plan kitchen, dining area, lounge, fireplace and an overlooking study. The stacking doors in the living area disappear into wall pockets leaving the space unhindered of glass, full open to the surrounding nature

The experience of the farm includes to the permaculture vegetable garden, fresh farm eggs, interactions with the goats and horses, and hiking through a landscape populated by giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and warthogs.