Living Room

3 Lida Lane in Pasadena, California, is currently listed for $2,279,000 by Steve Clark of Clark Living.

Hale's material preferences helped keep costs low: Inexpensive plywood lines the ceiling and cork covers the floors. He covered the kitchen island with yellow plastic laminate.

A queen-size Murphy bed folds down from this interior wall, transforming open living space into a bedroom.

As an architect who specializes in universal access design and ADA compliance and as a wheelchair user herself, Karen Braitmayer was no stranger to the challenges of accessible design. Although she had been able to take advantage of her 1954 home's single-level, open layout, as her daughter (also a wheelchair user) grew up, the family's accessibility needs also shifted. The main living area includes a more formal sitting area near the entrance, the dining area, Braitmayer’s workspace, and the kitchen—you can see the couple’s daughter working at the island. In the foreground is a pair of midcentury chairs; at left is a Heywood-Wakefield that Braitmayer found at an antiques shop. Seattle-based designer Lucy Johnson completed the interiors. The windows are from Lindal, and the exterior doors are from Marvin.

Using heat-treated pine and bricks, Wood Arkitektur + Design built a casual family retreat on a family compound in Hellerud, a borough of Oslo, Norway. Situated on a natural slope, the house is divided into split levels. The exterior is swathed in heat-treated pine that has aged to a soft gray, alongside charcoal bricks. The rotating, open-faced fireplace here is the Ergofocus model from French company Focus.

The double-height wall of windows in the living room looks out on the property and was a big draw on their first walk-through.

A Rope Sofa by Normann Copenhagen defines the plush, inviting living room. Pearl oak hardwood floors by Hallmark Floors stay true to the subdued palette. Behind, the dining room features a Pedestal marble table and Neutra chairs from Casa Quieta under the Mori pendant from RBW. A Molekule air purifier hums quietly.

Black-stained cedar and leathered concrete counters lend drama to the kitchen. The bar stools are from Blu Dot.

Jocie designed the custom built-in bench. A vintage Moroccan wedding blanket is paired with a vintage rug from Graham’s grandparents and two pillows from Block Shop Textiles.

A close-up of the bookshelves made of MDF clad in bamboo veneer.

A squadron of Louis Poulsen PH5 lamps hovers in the kitchen. Knoll chairs surround a vintage wood table that Serge bought in Mexico in 2004.