Inspiration

Oak trees are a precious but delicate feature of southern landscapes: their shallow roots extend far from their bases and are vulnerable to light foot traffic and certainly building foundations. +one design & construction used a “coil pile” foundation system, essentially of corkscrew-like supports, that allows the guest room to harmlessly float over the roots of this 80-year old tree.

The shower offers a multisensory experience: the architect described how clients can take hot showers in the rain or simply lounge in the capacious garden area. Mint plants growing between the pavers release a pleasant smell when stepped upon.

The motif of stone directional pavers culminates in these concrete benches, ideal for hosting and relaxing. When cooking, the residents can easily walk over to a nearby garden for vegetables, or chicken coup for eggs. The large ipe-clad addition on the right is the master bedroom, also equipped with sliding doors for easy outdoor access.

The house’s entrance reveals some of its new floor-to-ceiling windows, many of which double as sliding doors for easy access to the exterior. Privacy was not an issue for the property, though certain rooms are outfitted with curtains.

Mark Fekete and Viviana de Loera of MARK+VIVI transformed a former tire shop in the Verdun borough of Montreal into a welcoming home-office, exposing beams on the ground floor and making liberal use of locally sourced Canadian plywood.

The travertine floor for the guest bedroom came from a De La Espada showroom in Soho. When moving stores, the owners were considering throwing out their travertine floor, but Dealtry offered to install it in his home. Along with exposed ceiling beams, the tiles provide a sense of texture and warmth to the space. Photo by Tara Donne.

With the deliberate exception of its glass wall, the addition blends in seamlessly with the existing Victorian home. Its bricks were repurposed from the demolition process as were the windows for the upper level’s new bedroom.

Tasked with transforming a 93-square-foot brick boiler room into a guesthouse, architect and metalworker Christi Azevedo flexed her creative muscle. The architect spent a year and a half designing and fabricating nearly everything in the structure save for the original brick walls. "I treated the interior like a custom piece of furniture," she says.

The bathroom evokes the building’s industrial bones. The pendant light is from Ikea, and the towel racks are repurposed train car luggage racks. The Carrara tiles are mismatched seconds. “It works if you let yourself not try to fix it,” says Brandon.

Azovskiy & Pahomova architects

A couple takes a minimalist approach to their Brooklyn apartment, focusing on supple materials, subtle gradations of color, and custom finishes by local craftsmen. The Mandayam–Vohra family gathers under one of Workstead’s signature three-arm chandeliers, shown here in its horizontal configuration. Bartenschlager designed the white cabinets and is responsible for the walnut counters both on the kitchen island and near the stove.

After finding paradise on a Hawaiian papaya farm, filmmaker Jess Bianchi and jewelry designer Malia Grace Mau tapped San Francisco artist Jay Nelson to design and build their dream home in just five weeks. Located just one block from the beach, the home takes inspiration from laid-back surf shacks and is mainly built with reclaimed wood.

The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.

Moving past the kitchen, the homeowners and guests can access the spiral pool. The wide hallway accommodates visitors with wheelchairs.

Reuter Raeber Architects

H3 House by Luciano Kruk