A closer look at the partly enclosed sleeping area, which is illuminated by a small skylight. Custom cabinetry offer deep storage units as a way to help maximize the studio's layout.

Purple thistles, California poppies, clover, and dandelions have all taken root in the roughly 10-inch-deep, lightweight humus and grape-husk soil in this 580-square-foot green roof. Designer Peter Liang says that he "wanted to plant a green roof for its thermal mass, but I wanted it to be as natural as possible."

Skylights throw pink and yellow tones across the 850-square-foot unit’s stepped ceilings. “With small spaces, we try to play with clerestory windows, skylights, and ceilings. It makes the architecture feel spacious, almost as though it’s levitating.”

The family room couch is tucked into a nook to create a cozy retreat that still has views past the atrium to the backyard and kitchen.

One of the driving principles behind the design of Saltwater Farm was to have minimal impact on the site, so the cabins sit above the uneven landscape on stilts.

With the visible structure and piping of the tub and sink, the bathroom is a visual echo of the exposed trusses in the extension.

The homeowners are both in the creative field, with connections to a slew of talented artists. What hangs on the walls is only a small portion of their collection.

Custom metal shelves display books. The flooring throughout is white oak, and its color syncs nicely with the tones in the brick—inside and out.

The shelves display the homeowners’ books, records, clothing, and more, bringing personality to the spaces while still creating a regularity with its straight lines and consistent spacing.

A view through to the kitchen from the parlor floor's living and dining area.

The first floor is constructed primarily from sawara cypress, a species of wood native to central Japan this is cultivated for its high-quality timber.

The Cor-Ten steel of the front facade wraps around the roof, the chimney, and a dormer, lending a sculptural aesthetic.

Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

Sliding doors by Quantum were made to look like the original panes that couldn't be saved, and they lead to a fire pit outside.

The view!

At the top of the stairwell, a sitting area is outfitted with a vintage Eames lounge, a large Jack Goldstein painting, and a 1970s light fixture found by Marcovitz in Paris.

The kitchen features a concrete island topped with marble. Deja-Vu stools by Naoto Fukasawa surround the island. A print by Guy Gormley, as well as a painting bought during holiday in St. Tropez, hang on the walls.

Take a look at some of the most exciting, sustainable buildings around the world, and you may notice something they have in common: green roofs, or rooftops covered with a thin layer of soil to allow for grasses and other low-lying plants to grow.

New Depths Inspired by a local winery, George Kyprianou wanted a glass top on his subterranean wine cellar. The interior is lit, casting soft light into the living space at night and revealing the 132-year-old stone foundation. The three-quarter-inch glass lid sits flush with the floorboards; it opens with an ingenious device that Kyprianou devised using a 12-volt air compressor and a remote-controlled switch. When you push the button, the glass lifts just enough to be removed by hand.

The dome’s shape is immediately apparent upon viewing the surrounding walls. In this instance, a circular entrance leads to a living area. The kitchen is painted in Benjamin Moore’s Atrium White to match the existing walls.

Light Box Peter created a simple uplight at the top of the wood box by wiring together energy-efficient fluorescent fixtures typically used under cabinets and countertops. “The cheaper magnetic models hum unacceptably loudly, so make sure you get the electronic ballast types,” he warns. He then painted the cavity white to reflect light and covered them with quarter-inch-thick acrylic from TAP Plastics. homedepot.com tapplastics.com

The view of Kapiti Island is fully revealed from the tower.

The top container contains Wardell's office—and a "napping nook" above that.

In the dining area, a one-of-a-kind table with a reclaimed Carrara marble top by NET—themultidisciplinary design firm of architect Alejandro Sticotti, with whom Nicolas works—is surrounded by prototypes of the company’s Board chair. The family dog, China, sits on a floor made of travertine tiles.

The architects added a small circular skylight to serve as a vertical focal point in the center of the fifth floor. The quarter-sawn white oak risers produce a beautiful rippled grain highlighted by the abundant natural light.

The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.

The yellow North Face tent looms over the top of the main building.

Yvette, Adrian, and their son Julian survey the view from the top-floor terrace. “I’ve never been fond of modernism—I find it cold,” Adrian admits. “But having this house, I have to say, it’s growing on me.”

Still, it’s possible to remove or relocate non-structural walls in a home with good bones.

The master bedroom occupies a private space on the top floor.

A Nelson jewelry cabinet and Massimo Vignelli lamp.

The Piranesian view upwards through the central stair to the top floor skylight.