A look at the small reading nook located on the level between the bedroom and ground floor.

“Try to group uses and find solutions that solve multiple problems,” Borowski counsels. As an example, Pozner cites the idea of having the loft stairs double as clothing drawers. Though he eschewed a handrail, preferring a cleaner look, Pozner says that the slipperiness of the stairs “remains a work in progress. We had grooves, but they hurt my feet.” The pair are now looking into heavy-duty felt treads.

The stepping stone, like the skylight, was inspired by zen architecture. “In most traditional wooden houses and temples in Japan, the house is lifted above the garden, and the transition is always marked by a sculptural stepping stone,” says Bjerre-Poulsen. “We used the same principle between the old house and the addition.”

House O, designed by Jun Igarashi, forgoes hallways and interior doors in favor of casually interconnected rooms.

MODERN TAKE ON A TRADITIONAL FARMHOUSE IN MISSOURI Thanks to Matthew Hufft, their envelope-pushing architect and longtime friend, Hannah and Paul Catlett have a new home in southwestern Missouri that’s a fresh, unconventional take on the traditional farmhouse. The homeowners call the house Porch House after it's majestic wraparound porch. photos by: Joe Pugliese

Sleeping nooks that look like the grooves in a block of cheese.

In all of its beige glory...

5.0.2

A passage between the walls for hide and seek.

Lightroom 1.0, a photography studio, is a freestanding structure on the property. “Together, they represent an autobiography of my career,” Carpenter says.

Both the sitting and standing versions of DESK 01, a collaboration between Artifox and IdeaPaint, are outfitted with dry erase surfaces for recording sudden bursts of creativity.

Style: "#1"

The addition’s two stories of cedar-framed sliding doors and window provide generous views of the house’s prized jacaranda tree. The addition’s polished concrete floor and white cladding extend into the garden, drawing occupants to the serene rear porch. There, they can relax on stools designed by Alvar Aalto and Charles Wilson while admiring the luscious greenery.

Bathroom of the Freunde von Freunden X Vitra Apartment Hanging plants and an open shower accentuate the bathroom’s light, airy layout. Sink by Alape, shower and fixtures by Dallmer and Dornbracht. Photo by Steve Herud