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With glass raillings, the stairs to the second level invite glimpses through to a double-height bookshelf, filled with books and collected artifacts. Every room in the house is designed with the children in mind, and contains a dedicated space for them—for instance, the craft table under the stairs.

Mario Plasencia, the architect, used wood to wrap the exterior stairwell.

Behind the living room, a minimalist staircase leads to the upper level’s bedroom and family room. White oak flooring unites the staircase and the rest of the living spaces.

Furniture with emphasized linear elements helps prevent the appearance of clutter in small spaces. It's particularly effective when highlighted in playful colors like the blue bench storage rack in this London guesthouse. Photo by Ben Anders.

An unadorned spruce wood staircase leads to the upper level.

Now, there’s casual seating at the island bar in the kitchen and a formal dining table. A built-in serving area comes in handy for storage or entertaining. Additional windows convey other qualities of the site. “We replaced the windows for lots of reasons: to increase the performance of the home, and accentuate the views they wanted,” says Porter. “But this home has beautiful woodland views, too. So, we wanted to orient the house so it's not just a one-liner, but has intimate moments where you're looking at the woods.”

The kitchen is a compact galley layout that includes the washer and dryer.

The kitchen bookends an open-plan layout that also includes a dining area and living room. Full-height windows help create a sense of spaciousness and open the living areas to the backyard.

The gabled roof form, wrapped in metal panels and perforated metal screens, appears to hover above a simple extension of the original house.

Bel Air Remodel by Veneer Designs