Blu Homes cofounder Bill Haney considers his company’s mission to be twofold: “Prefab 2.0 means using technology to serve customers more efficiently and provide the highest possible customer service.”

In an effort to create an abundance of light and air flow throughout the space, the home follows an L-shaped floor plan that wraps around outdoor areas. “We designed several open spaces, each with a different feel: the garden and pool, the terrace, and the back patio,” says Cesarman. “The idea was to reduce the area to the most basic and essential [elements].”

This living/bedroom space showcases neutral tones and shades of white to contrast the continued use of natural, treated wood surfaces.

With library's Cor-Ten shield open, the home’s facade is seen at night. The L shaped pedestrian pathway forces visitors to travel around the perimeter before entry, gradually experiencing the architectural composition step by step.

Every space, including the living and dining sections seen here, has “furniture, objects and artworks that bring us memories,” says Smud. The bench, coffee tables, and dining table are by the late Alejandro Sticotti.

Fireplace as it was at time of home purchase

Fireplace after we ripped out many things from the room.

The home includes multiple furnishings and lights designed by Wright, including this dining set and hanging pendant light.

The back of the house serves as the greatest departure from the otherwise preserved proportions of the original Victorian farmhouse. With the thoughtful insertion of a “glass dining cube” and a rehabilitated deck space with sliding doors that can stand open, an outdoor living space creates additional programmatic flexibility while reinforcing the indoor/outdoor connection.

The open living space is surrounded by large, angular pieces of glass and sits on a floor made with Colorundum in a Cherokee Red, a material and color Wright often used in his work. This space also includes a brick wood-burning fireplace.

The extension’s lower level flows uninterrupted from the garden to the kitchen. Storage units hidden under the staircase give the living spaces an uncluttered feel. A Skygarden pendant by Marcel Wanders hangs over Snow 300 dining chairs by James Richardson, providing light in those rare hours when sunlight isn’t streaming in.

Modular vinyl record storage

Reminiscent of the Glass House, a monumental brick fireplace stands in the center of the living room.

When the sun is at its brightest, the east-facing glass wall is shielded by retractable Horiso venetian blinds that have been powdercoated to match the extension’s charcoal cladding.

Along with vaulted ceilings and sharp angles throughout, the home includes multiple custom built-in storage elements, including the bookshelves that line this living space.

Work It “We wanted to open up the back of the house, but there’s nothing to look at,” says Dana. “So we decided to put something in our yard as a focal point, to create our own view.” The architects came up with a glass-walled studio, which Dana uses as her home office. The architects mounted a steel I-beam that spans the yard, with holes drilled at eight-inch intervals for maximum flexibility of use. Right now it’s used for Ikea play equipment, but later they plan to hang a hammock and a movie screen. ikea.com

At home with sound

Long living room seating area

When Pablo Pérez Palacios’ Mexico City–based architecture firm PPAA was tasked with building an apartment tower to meet La Colonia Roma's need for additional housing, he faced a problem familiar to developers in historic neighborhoods everywhere. The site was occupied by a dilapidated home that dates to 1925, and local laws required that the facade and part of the structure be maintained. PPAA’s innovative approach was to cut the original three-story home in half, preserving enough of the building to front the street and hold two apartments replete with classic Victorian details like high ceilings and restored millwork. In the back of the lot, they designed a sleek eight-story apartment tower that would hold an additional nine apartments, for a total of 11 units. Not bad for a site that was previously an uninhabited single-family house.