Outdoors

Architectural designer Sebastian Mariscal and project manager Jeff Svitak created a house in Venice, California, for Michael and Tamami Sylvester. Known as Dwell Home Venice for its role as an exemplification of modern architecture, the house is an homage to indoor-outdoor living. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

Main elevation

The new two-story addition is clad in the same metal decking as the original one-story home. Principal Joe Valerio says this kind of decking is usually crafted using ribs of equal width to create a highly articulated surface. To avoid that look, he used ribs that alternate between very narrow and broad widths, to create a façade that “has a monolithic quality.”

The Boglis love the self-reliance afforded by generating thermal energy and growing a garden on their roof. Photo by John Clark.

With a sleek prototype in Emeryville, California, under its belt, Simpatico Homes sets out to redefine prefab's cost—and footprint. Photo by Jake Stangel.

“We like to live close to work because we’re constantly tinkering and adjusting, which is fine for us,” he says.

Matthew Peek and Renata Ancona built an elevated modern structure near Stinson Beach, California, with mesmerizing views of both the coast and nearby Mount Tamalpais. Photo by: Mathew Scott

Mandel mounted the fireplace in a blackened-steel frame, which echoes the window and door treatment on the house’s new facade.

Ample windows cut into the north elevation of the Valentine House, behind which live the architects. The openings reveal lofty double-height spaces inside. The ground-floor garage often serves as a shop for architectural model-making. Photos by: Roger Davies

Beach days, park picnics, and backyard barbecues—wherever your Fourth of July weekend takes you, these products will elevate your event with ease.