Small house

Lauren designed a wood storage shelf for the exterior of the cabin, which fits in the open space beneath the bed inside.

Floor Plan of the Day/McBride Residence by Ryan Leidner

Folding glass doors on the north and south elevations create cross ventilation and open the cabin, clad in Western red cedar, to its forested setting and views of the ocean.

Solar panels create a geometric pattern on the roof of the ADU.

“They fit with the aesthetics of the house and the minimalistic feel of it,” says Laura. “Plus they are made locally, which is also important for us.”

After a forest fire destroyed their cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Jeff Waldman and Molly Fiffer built a new retreat with salvaged, charred timber and a community of friends.

The use of the stone as a foundation allowed the budget to be reduced as it minimized the amount of work and materials.

Reclaimed wood covers the ceiling in the main room and bedroom. The large white light fixture was reused from the barn’s previous incarnation, and the sectional is from Interior Define.

This 530-square-foot prefab in East Sussex, England, was designed by Michael Kendrick Architects for a family who wanted to build a woodland retreat/rental on their property. Immersing the lodge into the forest reflects the family’s intent to, as the architects explain, “enhance the ecological biodiversity of the area, protect wildlife, and enable guests … to understand and appreciate the fauna, flora, and unique history and nature of the area, while supporting and promoting the local economy.”

“I envision people writing their books, music, refuelling their creative flow,” says Castillero. He should know about its energizing power more than anyone, really: it brought him back to his love of architecture, after all. “It’s truly my new happy place.”

Floor plan of House Endo by Arquipélago Arquitetos

Exterior view of the drive through to the interior courtyard, wild flowers beyond

The new prefab unit is located just a few meters from the main home—a thatched-roof cottage that dates back to the 1950s. “The dark color of the cladding blends into the dark hedges in the garden, so the unit doesn’t attract too much attention,” says Vriesema.

Red-painted pinewood wraps around the exterior of a tiny house that sits on a slope overlooking the Baltic Sea in the Stockholm archipelago.