Waterloo

An outdoor shower set in the timber-clad walkway offers another way for the homeowners and their guests to connect with nature, and an easy way to rinse off after swimming.

"There aren’t many row houses that treat vertical circulation and the relationship between public and private spaces the same way as [this house]," Shane says. White oak treads and a painted steel handrail make up the home's signature staircase.

A sun-filled dining area awaits just steps from the kitchen.

A portion of the home’s peak is an open-air viewing deck framed in rhythmic wood slatting.

The patio extends the living space outside in warmer months and is connected to the interior via Marvin Modern Multi-Slide Doors and Marvin Modern Direct Glaze windows. A small path leads through the towering trees, directly to the lake.

Floor Plan of Clinton Hill Carriage House by the Brownstone Boys

This countryside residence favors simple, sustainable moves over square footage, and strategically captures views without walls of glass.

Throughout the interior, the couple emphasized simple materials, such as birch plywood and salvage-yard marble. A pendant by Hay is joined by dining chairs from Design Within reach.

Lee Buchanan of Lee Build created a screen of white ash slats beside the kitchen as well as the entry. "The stairs are beautifully integrated into the kitchen so the kids and I are always talking and someone is always sitting on the bottom steps,