Kids

The wall and floors are tongue-and-groove plywood.

In the booming British beach town of Margate, longtime locals Natasha Hart and Oliver Whitmarsh teamed up with newcomer architects RL-a to salvage a 19th-century workers’ lodging. Their son Stan’s bedroom includes a vintage Habitat Skipper bed by Loïck Peyron and a climbing wall designed by Natasha. The plywood finishes are kid-friendly and also affordable.

The Tower House is made up of tiny houses, clustered at the southern end of the property and clad in white steel panels and western red cedar shingles. Spinning off the living room on the north side of the main house, the children’s study sits separate from the other pavilions. On its upper level, Oxley netting forms a web on which the kids and their friends can sit and read with views of the leafy street and garden.

The second-level bedroom features white pegboard that blends into the wall, where the new residents can hang shelving with toys, artwork, and beloved items.

The original run-down shed wasn’t very functional: The roof leaked, the carpet had sprouted mold, and the narrow quarters were sectioned off as two parking spots and two office spaces. So Ella engaged Mutuus Studio to help figure out an optimal design for the 360-square-foot shed—one that would encompass garden shed, exercise room, office, playroom, and outdoor dining space all while staying within a modest budget of less than $40,000.

A flexible loft space at the top of the stairs doubles as a sleeping area when the curtain is closed, and a playroom for the kids. Skylights and punched window openings allow natural light to filter into these upper-level living spaces

The new below-grade playroom, with its wood EZ Play Jungle Gym, doubles as a bedroom and features a window that looks into the pool.

Ikea cabinets act as storage, but also the base of a window seat with a custom cushion.