Buyers should cast as wide a net as possible in terms of location and amenities.
Shibata wanted more shelf space in her home office, so she added a plywood door with built-in bookshelves that opens into her bedroom to form a reading nook. Glimpsed from the adjacent room, the space looks larger than it actually is, thanks to the bright green walls.
Texas architect Jim Poteet helped Stacey Hill, who lives in a San Antonio artists’ community, wrangle an empty steel shipping container into a playhouse, a garden retreat and a guesthouse for visiting artists. Photos by: Chris Cooper
How a highly productive collaboration among a trio of creative Angelenas—and a good dose of Barragán—turned a dark and beleaguered midcentury house into a family home for the ages. The resulting design acquired its own flow, full of colorful narrative, spirited counterpoint, and anecdote. Now, in place of dark, disconnected spaces, outdoor rooms echo luminous indoor ones, and experimental filmmaker Laura Purdy and her family’s eclectic collections of art and personal artifacts share space with flashes of pattern and interior planes of saffron and pink stucco.
A quartet of red paints (Raspberry Truffle, Million Dollar Red, Vermillion, Arroyo Red), all by Benjamin Moore, make the built-in shelving in the dining area pop. The table is a custom design made of bookmatched walnut slabs joined by lacquered butterflies. The chairs are vintage Paul McCobb lacquered in turquoise (Benjamin Moore's Aruba Blue). The Ligne Roset Ruché sofa, designed by Inga Sempé, separates the living and dining spaces. The chandelier is by David Weeks Studio.
"I always wanted to have my very own yellow brick road," says Viviana de Loera, whose favorite part of the home is the playful staircase. The original stairs and handrail were preserved in the renovation.
The main living area functions as an easygoing lounge, ideal for entertaining, with a vintage billiards table and low-slung sofas from Ikea. The concrete flooring is durable and easy to clean—a rebuttal to precious French parquet.
A far cry from minimalism, the renovated 900-square-foot Paris flat belonging to Nicolas Roche, a scion of the French furniture company Roche Bobois, is decked out with vivid hues and vintage furniture. A 1960s orange lamp by Luxus is suspended over the Warren Platner dining table and chairs. The 1950s rosewood glass cabinet is from Soriano. Pod Lens pendants by Ross Lovegrove for Luceplan hang from the ceiling.
With this curvy, glowing form, architect Jesse Judd has rendered the sometimes-harsh Australian bush habitable for his friends and family.
This sleek kitchen in the renovated Dolce and Burnham Residence hits warm notes with red lacquered cabinetry, cypress woodwork, and a leafy backyard vista.
A bridge spans the home’s steep site for street access.
David Sarti's little red house in Seattle's sleepy Central District proves that a bit of land, ambition, and carpentry know-how can go a long way. photo by: Misha Gravenor
Waechter Architecture reimagined a traditional gabled home in southeast Portland without significantly altering the original building. A simple coat of red paint abstracts the century-old structure, creating a residential work of art.
The wood screen concealing the outdoor shower was painted yellow and white, matching the color scheme in the guest bathroom.
Each building contains a mixed-use common area.
Light from a new skylight pours into the home's entryway and living room. Steel columns and beams were added for structural reinforcement, and the couple left all beams, old and new, exposed.
Arango's 1,000-square-foot home in Amherst, Massachusetts is run entirely by solar power. He uses the home as an example in the class he teaches on renewable energy.