Kitchen counter

The group was budget-conscious when designing the kitchenette. They used Ikea cabinets with custom-built faces in a white oak, cabinet-grade veneer. Braithwaite extended the same material to the ceiling beneath the mezzanine to define the kitchen zone. As a result, “it feels like it is part of the same language,” he says. Instead of traditional plumbing, the group added a filtered water collection system to the metal roof, and opted for an incinerator toilet.

The design incorporates integrated kitchen appliances to conserve space.

The guest bathroom includes a concrete wall and pale yellow tiles from Daltile.

The living area features a Strato CB2 sectional that Melody owned before the couple moved in together. In the kitchen, pendants made by the pair hang over a concrete-topped island.

A U-shaped kitchen sits behind the living area, closest to the deck.

La Base also designed the bathroom’s modular hangers.

The whole project comprised only three months of design, two months of production (some 90 percent of which was completed at a Buenos Aires factory), one day of assembly, and five days of adjustments. The structure consists of just four 9-foot-8-inch-by-19-foot-7-inch modules supported by a foundation plate. “If we want to move it, we can,” says Teresa. “We could get a crane and disassemble it and then reassemble it on the coast.”

The rough-hewn stone stairs that lead to the cottage were made by a local stone worker.

The cottage is wrapped in dark timber cladding that allows it to blend into the landscape, while the interior features white and natural timber finishes, making the most of the abundance of natural light to create a bright space.

The home’s kitchen features a bold, earthy mix of colors and textures—the quartzite counters, Venetian plaster kitchen hood, Zellige tile backsplash, and natural wood millwork come together to create a warm and inviting space. “The juxtaposition of the old, Moroccan Zellige tile against the new Marvin windows is a really nice design moment,” says Carly.

Double doors connect the outside to a main living space in this “garden cottage” ADU.

Susan and Chuck Webb relocated from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to Berkeley, California, to be closer to their daughter and grandson. The retired couple soon realized they’d need more space than their century-old, 1,300-square-foot craftsman bungalow could provide in order to spread out, host out-of-town visitors and, perhaps eventually, accommodate a live-in caretaker. They spent $196,270 to build this all-electric 300-square-foot ADU, designed by Type Five.