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Collection by Kelsey Keith

Ways to Design with Plywood

Architecture gets expensive, so these homebuilders put their creativity to work by designing with plywood. Here's how they saved a buck on materials without looking, well, cheap.

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Architecture firm Gut Gut designed a modular shelving system out of plywood that gets repeated throughout the apartment. Here, the kitchen island with induction cooktop and the bookshelves are clearly from the same family without looking like twins. A green Dish Doctor by Marc Newson for Magis adds a splash of color next to the sink and a chalkboard wall creates space to play.
Architecture firm Gut Gut designed a modular shelving system out of plywood that gets repeated throughout the apartment. Here, the kitchen island with induction cooktop and the bookshelves are clearly from the same family without looking like twins. A green Dish Doctor by Marc Newson for Magis adds a splash of color next to the sink and a chalkboard wall creates space to play.
These wood-wrapped spaces take oriented strand board to new heights.
These wood-wrapped spaces take oriented strand board to new heights.
When Matthew Trzebiatowski and his wife Lisa designed their own home in Arizona, they created a bathroom whose extreme aesthetic matched the area’s extreme climate. The Trzebiatowskis’ bathroom retains the spirit of Arizona heat with its shocking magenta ceilings, floors, and walls. The vanity is anything but—featuring art instead of a mounted mirror—and is made from sanded and sealed OSB, a waste material typically used in framing.
When Matthew Trzebiatowski and his wife Lisa designed their own home in Arizona, they created a bathroom whose extreme aesthetic matched the area’s extreme climate. The Trzebiatowskis’ bathroom retains the spirit of Arizona heat with its shocking magenta ceilings, floors, and walls. The vanity is anything but—featuring art instead of a mounted mirror—and is made from sanded and sealed OSB, a waste material typically used in framing.
The second floor houses three lits bretons, boxlike compartments where the curtains can be drawn to close sleepers off from the world. Inside, each has a built-in shelf for personal belongings and a favorite read.
The second floor houses three lits bretons, boxlike compartments where the curtains can be drawn to close sleepers off from the world. Inside, each has a built-in shelf for personal belongings and a favorite read.
The lower-level sleeping area boasts a plywood wardrobe, Eames LCW, and Eames plywood folding screen.
The lower-level sleeping area boasts a plywood wardrobe, Eames LCW, and Eames plywood folding screen.
Plywood lines the stair walls.
Plywood lines the stair walls.
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.
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.