The living room Ortal fireplace is clad in cold-rolled steel with a waxed finish. The side chairs, vintage reproductions from Room and Board, feature shapely walnut arms.

"Shane enjoys both cooking and entertaining so we maximized the counter space to make meal prep and hosting easy," Priftaj says. "It was also very important that the kitchen include a gas grill so he could quickly and conveniently grill without having to climb up five flights of stairs to use the bbq on the patio." Priftaj selected high-gloss acrylic white cabinets from bulthaup's b3 line with an aluminum backsplash and b3 prism drawer system to keep things tidy. A Wolf hood and gas cooktop with chargrill give Carslake the flexibility he desired for indoor grilling. The counters are polished white quartz.

While effortlessly chic and minimalist in the final photography, Arch11 noted that much of the success of this project can be attributed to working with a construction team dedicated to craftsmanship. “Even though this modern [design] language is common, a lot of Hale Construction’s work is restoration. He [Andrew Hale] practiced his craft at the highest level,” noted Meade.

The living room and dining area occupy the heart of the "living" volume and are enclosed on both sides by full-height glazing.

This is the entrance to my backyard. To the left is my bedroom and to the right is my garage. We have 3 fruit trees and we used to have healthy grass but my husky has wore out my grass. I used to sit under tree during summer and relax but its not so relacing anymore. Id like a mini outdoor kitchen to entertain maybe to the left?

In Lorne, Victoria, Austin Maynard Architects gave an old shack near the beach a modern revamp and a timber extension that allows for elevated sea views. With interiors lined in recycled Silvertop Ash, the house oozes a cozy, cabin-like feel.

Track and spotlights are fixtures that are attached to a track that is mounted to the ceiling or hung off the ceiling, depending on the fixture.

Fireplace as it was at time of home purchase

Fireplace after we ripped out many things from the room.

Project: Manassas Park Elementary School + Pre-K Location: Manassas Park, Virginia View: Breakout space Architect: VMDO Architects, P.C. Photo by Prakash Patel.

Project: Manassas Park Elementary School + Pre-K Location: Manassas Park, Virginia View: Courtyard Architect: VMDO Architects, P.C. Photo by Prakash Patel.

Project: KAUST Location: Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia View: Courtyard between buildings Architect: HOK Photo by JB Picoulet.

Project: KAUST Location: Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia View: Exterior, single building Architect: HOK Photo by JB Picoulet.

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Abutting a costal reserve, the property has uninterrupted views of the Snowy River and surrounding wetlands

Project: Special No. 9 House Location: New Orleans, Louisiana View: Exterior Architect: KieranTimberlake AIA summary: "The Special No. 9 House was designed for the Make It Right Foundation to provide storm-resistant, affordable, and sustainable housing options for the residents of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward displaced by Hurricane Katrina. To support Make It Right’s goal of building 150 homes in the Lower Ninth Ward, this single-family home is poised for mass production, anticipating a shift from on-site to off-site fabrication as more homes are scheduled for construction. Key goals were to create safe, healthy and dignified housing to residents in a flood-prone area, and to empower residents to return to improved living conditions that take advantage of New Orleans’ climate and express its deep cultural heritage." Photo by John Williams Architects.

City of Watsonville Water Resources Center Architect: WRNS Studio Location: Watsonville, California

Project: Special No. 9 House Location: New Orleans, Louisiana View: Interior Architect: KieranTimberlake Photo by Momenta Workshops/Alexi Lebedev.

City of Watsonville Water Resources Center Architect: WRNS Studio Location: Watsonville, California