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In the gravel-lined entry court shaded by a Japanese maple tree, furniture from Beall and Bell—an antique shop in Greenport, New York—mixes with Pendant Globes by Primelite Manufacturing. Bobo pillows by Adler outfit the banquette, and cedar clads the interior of the seating area.

On the home's east side, the overhang created by the second story volume shades the front door while still allowing morning light into the bedrooms.

Architect Fredrik Nilsson and author Keshni Kashyap blend Scandinavian modernism with a measure of Indian style to create a thoroughly L.A. home.

Alloi Architects and Construction transformed a typical 1940s Los Angeles ranch home that had been modified piecemeal over the years. The firm — certified passive house designers — expanded and upgraded the home, which the owner had purchased in the 1990s.

The front steps were rebuilt with terrazzo.

Front Deck & Entry Door

The laneway house is just across a small shared patio behind Robert and Debra’s house.

Front exterior view. We used charred cypress from Nakamoto Forestry.

With a new baby on the way and the soon-to-be grandmother moving in, Seattleites Ilga Paskovskis and Kyle Parmentier asked Best Practice Architecture to expand their detached garage into a 570-square-foot ADU, which they now call the Granny Pad. “We can see the joy it brings Grandma when the baby comes over to visit,” says Kyle. “It’s the best part of her day.”

After raising the rear patio to the level of the kitchen, the team reused the original redwood decking and supplemented it with recycled pieces from other projects. Recessed planters punctuate a garden wall. Scott and Regina warm themselves by a Solus fire pit on chilly evenings.

Yumi (left) and Maya (right) cheese around on the steps leading into the front door. Inside, there is ample space for removing and leaving one's shoes, another Japanese element.

Architect Grant Straghan, founder of DeDraft, designed an aluminum extension in London’s Walthamstow area for a librarian and an illustrator who had lived in the old terrace house for several years before they were ready to move forward with an expansion. After learning about the clients’ affinity for green, Straghan selected a pale-toned paint to decorate the exterior in the residents’ favorite color.

Deep window ledges on the exterior act as small stoops, where the client Wayne Euston-Moore often takes phone calls.

The house that Kem Studio designed for Sarah Magill on a narrow lot in Kansas City has a steel facade with reclaimed cypress cladding near the entrance. The entire structure sits atop a steel foundation set on concrete piers that were driven into solid stone.