picks for austin

"It was rundown, dark, and divided," recalls Masaaki of his first impression of the warehouse, the ground floor of a multistory apartment building. But after some thought, Masaaki, a Japanese-born architect, and Esther, an artist from Minorca, realized that owning the combined 2,700 square feet would allow them to headquarter Mas-aqui, the architecture and design firm they were planning to start, on-site. They bought the property and within months transformed it into a bright, modern live/work space.

Landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand helped fill out the completed prefab by planting sedge grass on one of the house’s two green roofs to reflect the texture of the surrounding meadow.

This modular system created by the architects at Resolution: 4 allows them to customize a home’s floor plan by stacking, lining up, and joining factory-built, rectangular modules.

A landscape of native grasses designed by GSLA Studio complements the raw textures of the concrete-and-ipe front facade.

Solid Timber door with hanging pegs to hold the sink cover/chopping board – designed and built by Echo Living. The floating kitchenette unit with drawers and cupboard has a set-in Butler ceramic kitchen sink, and integral compact 12v fridge. The open shelves were designed and built by Echo Living. White Ceramic 300 x 300mm floor tiles from a range at Afoi Kathekklaki, Rethymno, Crete.

After nearly two years of canvassing and screening 18,000 structures across Midland, an army of volunteers has identified hundreds of authentic midcentury modern designs, including the Richard Lane Home (pictured) by Frances Warner. Today, visitors can experience the city’s rich architectural history through the numerous events put on by Mid-Century Modern Midland, and even embark on self-guided tours via the organization’s free downloadable app.

In this off-the-grid cabin in New Zealand is a polished brass-lined kitchen niche with a matching tap by Arne Jacobsen for Vola that contrasts the otherwise spare, black, minimalist interiors.

An up-close look at the Scandi-style steel porch columns.

Butler Residence floor plan

The industrial stair leads to the upper level, where the bedrooms, bathrooms, and play space are located.

A Renlita Floataway garage door is shielded by one of the home’s many overhangs.

Porches and rolling glass doors draw in the river breeze to keep the home cool.

The ground-level plan.

Cole worked with two landscape companies, Sydney Organic Gardens and Pepo Botanic Design, to create the plant and vegetable gardens and other permaculture features.

B&B Italia Outdoor’s Canasta sofa, by Patricia Urquiola, shares a shady patch in the ground-floor Carnegie Hill garden with three ginkgo biloba trees, an existing fountain with an Italian marble spout designed by Thomas Woltz, and bluestone pavers. The terrace is filled with woodland greenery: Leucothoe, ostrich ferns, and lady ferns.

City Cabin | Olson Kundig

In the kitchen, a custom composite dining table is paired with bright plastic Ikea chairs. Crasset’s Evolute pendant lights for Danese Milano, with origami-esque folded shades in maple veneer, hang above.