The smooth, raven-hued island in this kitchen is made of oak with a thin stone countertop. A Foscarini Gregg Pendant hangs overhead.

The hexagonal backyard studio that Marlin and Ryan Hanson designed and built in British Columbia, Canada, is clad with western red cedar shakes and a metal roof.

The hexagonal backyard studio that Marlin and Ryan Hanson, of Hanson Land & Sea, designed and built in British Columbia, Canada, is clad with western red cedar shakes and a metal roof.

A couple enlist Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to reimagine their home as a multigenerational meeting point. In 1963, landscape designer Lawrence Halprin devised a master plan for a community that would live in harmony with the natural environment. The resulting Sea Ranch, which stretches 10 miles along the Pacific coastline in Sonoma County, California, is characterized by timber-frame, wood-clad structures that are in dialogue with the local climate and terrain. Sited on a bluff within this pioneering community is the vacation home of a lawyer couple. After purchasing the residence in 2007, they lived in the home as it was for four years, even keeping the previous owners’ furniture. Envisioning a retreat that would accommodate their extended family and guests, they then recruited Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to help guide the project.

The focus of the renovation was the kitchen, where the textures of tiles and brickwork play backdrop to considered, bespoke carpentry.

"I wanted the bones of the house to be bold, strong and simple,

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

The architects incorporated sustainably sourced parota wood into the living room’s sunken seating area. The Turn Tall side table is from Blu Dot, and the pillows are from West Elm.

A young Finnish designer bypasses building permits by creating an affordable tiny home under 100 square feet.

The journey through the dark tunnel to the new, light-filled addition is both a texturally interesting and atmospheric experience, where the contrast between old and new, dark and light, can be felt.

A passage between the walls for hide and seek.

Architect: Paul Rudolph Location: New York, NY Price: $28 million If you had any doubt about the marketability of super-modern, verging on urbane 1970s maximalism, look no further than Paul Rudolph's fantastic 3,000-square-foot penthouse unit that he designed for himself at 23 Beekman Place. Jared Della Valle and Andrew Bernheimer (formerly of Della Valle Bernheimer) undertook a light renovation to update the spread.

A small dining space and kitchen area blend into the expansive wood paneling used throughout The Barn.

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.

On one side of the house, a white central staircase leads to a split-level landing the Robertsons call "the reading room." "We needed a place to hang out and for the kids to read," explains owner Vivi Nguyen-Robertson. Awaiting the birth of the couple's son, she relaxes in a built-in reading nook in the library.

Wave, by Robert Longo

Emigre No. 70, cover

Rings, by Sarah Morris

Plan drawing of Screenplay.

Orgy by Mike Perry.

Shapes by Mike Perry.

Elevation drawing of Screenplay.

Circle by Mike Perry.

The outdoor atrium of Family House Litvínovice is a completely private space that's well-suited for the installation of a hammock, outdoor bath, or shower. A11 designed the home to be an exploration of minimalism and privacy from the outside world.