Small Spaces

After: "We wanted to restore the missing components back to their 1890s original form, while inserting additive elements that would transform a schoolhouse with classrooms into a building for apartments and modern day living," says Brian Rome, the principal of Rome Office.

After living with the original exterior for a while, Bryan had the shell buffed to its natural silver finish. “I think it's the most gorgeous thing in the world,” says Bryan of the Airstream’s iconic shape.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

This dreamy, glass bedroom by the lake was created as an early prototype for the prefabricated greenhouse/she kits known as the Kekkilä Green Sheds.

Built as a live/work space for a sculptor, Indigo by Dutch practice Woonpioniers is an eco-friendly, prefabricated cabin with bent wooden walls.

Top 10 Vans, Buses, and Trailers of 2020: From souped-up Airstreams to converted skoolies, these rambling homes enraptured our readers.

The Anza Airstream was designed to feel more open than other trailers, with little upper cabinetry.

Set on a storied site, the Colorado Camelot Tree House offers a place to rest after traipsing through the pines, wildflowers, mushrooms, and moss-covered rocks.

A luxurious rural retreat that doesn’t skimp on comfort, JR’s Hut is an off-grid glamping destination with spectacular views of the 7,000-acre Kimo Estate in Australia.

Although it’s “veiled” from the street, the light-filled hideaway amplifies its connection to the outdoors.

When Austin-based firm Matt Fajkus Architecture was tasked with renovating this classic midcentury home, they sought to open up the interior—not only by unifying the common areas into an open-plan layout, but also by literally raising the home's roof. This strategy increased the ceiling height on three sides of the home, allowing for the insertion of clerestory windows to create a bright and airy open living space. "The raised ceiling maintains the original pitched roof geometry to stay harmonious with the existing gabled roof in the private zone," explain the architects in a statement.

In Hanna Bui’s Sausalito houseboat, designed by architect Craig Steely, sea creatures seen through an enormous back window animate bay views.

Constructed from locally sourced poplar plywood, the lightweight cabin was designed to be mobile and can be moved around the campsite depending on the season.

The timber-clad cabins at Find Sanctuary in Big Bear, California, were devised to help urban professionals manage stress anxiety.

With its large covered porch and glazed walls, the Beaver Creek Cabin frames the forest like a picture.