Houses

An award-winning, modern masterpiece inspired by Neutra

Solar panels provide power for the two cabins.

The design of the roofline matches the slope of the site.

The home’s three low-lying rooflines subtly emerge from the landscape.

“We pulled apart one volume and staggered it along the buildable area of the property,” says architect Matthew Ahlberg of Portland firm Barrett Made. The home is clad in unfinished cedar, meant to weather over time.

Mexico City–based Estudio MMX designed CMR House around an existing garden that they found too beautiful to demolish. In order to keep the garden intact, the architects decided to break up the program of the living room, kitchen, dining area, and bedrooms, and split them up into individual units set along the garden’s edge.

"Small IKEA kitchens drive me crazy, but six kitchens' worth of IKEA cabinets can be made into something beautiful," says homeowner Andrew Dunbar. Staggered by width, the cabinets have exposed kick-plate gaps for storing CDs.

The weekend retreat is a welcome respite from the hustle of Mexico City.