Houses

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.

Set high in the hills above Portland, this home has a stately turret, vibrant interiors, and 200-year-old terra-cotta tile floors.

Sitting jauntily on its block, this renovated residence in Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood retained the original home’s footprint. The architect (and daughter of the homeowner) opened up the living spaces inside and overhauled the exterior and landscaping to give it a more contemporary presence. Cambium Landscape created the outdoor spaces which perfectly balance hardscape with greenery.

Floor Plan of Whitehaus by Romines Architecture

This pristine 1966 home opens to its wooded site with a series of patios, balconies, and outdoor entertaining areas.

Floor Plan of Baldie Hill Bunkie by Daymark Design Incorporated

Partially hidden from the main driveway, the cottage is accessed by a meandering stone path—you can't drive a car up to it. "It's not conventionally convenient,

Andrea Register and Matthew Kaniaris live in one of 124 midcentury homes in the National Register-listed postwar neighborhood of Arapahoe Acres in Englewood, Colorado. Photo by Daniel Scott Jenkins

Hawkins was known to be particular about the use of color in Arapahoe Acres, even personally supervising and selecting custom-mixed paint colors by his painting contractor, Charles Buckley. Though the primary exterior materials for the initial homes designed by Sternberg were red or yellow brick, plywood panels, and glass, for his own designs, Hawkins expanded to incorporate natural stone, concrete block, a wide variety of brick and woods. Andrea Register and Matthew Kaniaris updated the 1954 Welch House designed by Hawkins after buying the three-bedroom midcentury in 2020.

The trees here “hug the building,” says Fritz. A Sycamore sits next to the house, providing shade for the patio in the summertime.

A series of “stacked boxes” laid the foundation for this Sea Ranch–inspired home on a narrow site set on two flood zones and filled with protected redwoods.

If you’ve always dreamed of owning a home by Frank Lloyd Wright, there are currently three properties for sale ranging from $790K to $899K. Pictured here is the McCartney House.