Ranch Rehab

The mirror was replaced with a long window. The buffet moved with the owner from her childhood home. Black Eames chairs surround a generous wood table sourced by Annie Wise.

Klopf Architecture's modest 72-square-foot addition at the front of the home blends in with the original structure while giving the owners a greater sense of openness in the master and hall bathrooms. Inside, the re-imagined great room now features dining space.

The original facade was transformed into a contemporary profile that pays homage to the home's humble roots.

Formerly the garage, the new living room feels bright and spacious thanks to large windows, white walls, and a vaulted ceiling.

The main house was given a contemporary look by way of a metal roof and a black exterior.

This eco-friendly extension in Melbourne was designed by Ben Callery Architects. The light-filled space incorporates renewable features including high levels of insulation, double glazing, and recycled and locally sourced materials. A corrugated metal roof was designed to glide over the 1,650-square-foot home.

"The family are very close-knit with a lot of nostalgia for a cottage that their grandparents once owned. Things like cedar shakes, painted pine paneling, handmade bed quilts, and ceramic tiles reminiscent of quilt patterns bring those memories back. The clients' children are now young parents with contemporary taste and needs, so the design had to feel youthful," says Hope.

“When you’re doing a second home, a lot of the character of the design is defined by what it isn’t,” says architect Greg Howe, as a way of explaining the minimalistic approach that was taken on this Michigan weekend home. “If you think of it as cold, you have to remember, the setting, and accessing nature, is the point.”