A good dose of inspiration from Luis Barragán turned a dark and beleaguered midcentury house into a family home for the ages. The paint colors chosen by the residents and architect Linda Taalman are American Cheese and Blushing Bride, both by Benjamin Moore, creating a tapestry of color and texture.

BLAIR NICHE PROJECT At just $167 per square foot, this high-design, low-cost barn in rural Wisconsin is an American idyll.

The guesthouse has similar built-ins and is outfitted with a reproduction rotating sconce by Serge Mouille and rugs by Stephanie Odegard.

Playing off the work of artist James Turrell, as well as the front porch scheme prevalent in the South, an outside living room of the Lewin House by Dencity is half covered and half open to the leaf canopy overhead. A pair of teak armchairs are clustered around a Laguna fire table from Restoration Hardware.

Two El Dorado principals, Douglas Stockman and David Dowell, enlisted the elbow grease of students in their fifth-year design studio at Kansas State University to help design and fabricate the bunkbeds that line the cabin walls.

Architect Christopher C. Deam, Dwell founder Lara Deam's husband, designed Airstream's newest travel trailer, the International Sterling.

Though this kitchen fits in with its period surroundings, a few tweaks keep it current. “It’s functional in a way that doesn’t feel like the kitchen is in the living room,” says architect Rick Black. He explains, “One of the goals was to make the islands more like furniture than like heavy objects that go all the way to the floor.”

In the new powder room, Jill Malek wallpaper adds graphic punch to custom cabinetry.

The cooktop, refrigerator, and wall ovens are by Jenn-Air; the sink and faucet are by Kohler; and the countertops are from Caesarstone.

At a fraction of the size of Ochre Barn, Stealth Barn is just one clear shot down the hall from the kitchen to the bedroom. OSB is an even stronger part of the interior here evoking bales of hay.

Easy Transitions To visually connect the kitchen with the outdoor covered patio, the architects installed a cedar ceiling that flows from interior to exterior, peppered with an uninterrupted grid of Iside 2 puck lights from Leucos USA. Bifold accordion doors by Sierra Pacific open all the way, allowing the Zuckermans’ large dinner parties to spill outside. leucosusa.com sierrapacificwindows.com

“It was a major decision to put the kitchen in the center where everything would revolve around it,” says Lazor. “We did this simply by following what patterns we observed—it was just where people gravitated.” The bar stools are by Blu Dot, and the chairs by Charles and Ray Eames.

“Life happens around architecture. And that’s fine: A lot of houses get more beautiful when they age.” —Architect Rick Black

A calming vibe is immediately instilled at the entry.

No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.

“I love the house more each day,” says Tamami Sylvester of her and husband Michael's home by Sebastian Mariscal in Venice, California. The kitchen, which includes all Miele appliances, is sheathed in custom woodwork from Semihandmade. Accessories from A+R complement the Caesarstone countertops and Franke faucet. A LifeSource Water System provides filtration. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

Sævik designed the wood tub in the bathroom, which features an adjacent sauna. The Inxx A5 faucet is by Mora.

The Outward Bound cabins, designed by the University of Colorado Denver's design-build program, have steel frames that lift the structures above a three-foot snowpack while supporting corrugated-steel "snow roofs."

Architect Cindy Black chose terrazzo tile flooring by Concrete Collaborative over higher-priced competitors because it’s a “little more polished looking”. Before installing the material, the builder had to completely re-level the concrete subfloor, which had settled over time leaving a two-inch gap on one side. The sofa is from Room & Board, and the custom walnut media wall was designed to match the kitchen built-ins.

Builder Jason Miars fabricated the walnut-paneled walls and kitchen cabinetry, which is accented by stainless-steel Linnea drawer pulls.

The Blues Are Still Blue Grinding down the concrete floor was too costly, so the Benoits had it painted blue with inexpensive Benjamin Moore latex floor-and-patio paint and then sealed with Zinsser shellac—a natural, nontoxic product that brushes on and can be easily touched up. It darkened the blue paint a bit and gives the floor a hand-worked luster. benjaminmoore.com rustoleum.com/zin... Scandinavian Grace The Benoits bought their Scandinavian modern table from Klassik Living in Berkeley. “Their prices are very reasonable for the uniqueness and quality offered,” says Peter. They chose teak since it darkens nicely and naturally when exposed to sunlight—–helpful since their table gets blasted by morning rays. klassikliving.com

An interior window creates flow between the skylit landing and baby Banks’s room.

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

In 1962, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill architect Arthur Witthoefft won the AIA's highest honor for a home he built in the lush woods of Westchester County. Having fended off a developer's wrecking ball, Todd Goddard and Andrew Mandolene went above and beyond to make this manse mint again.

Pictured here is the door to the bathroom. White curtains inside the bathroom provide privacy.

In the DoghousePaul and Shoko's dog, Mei, has lucked into a small prefab home of her own. Making use of a water jet cutter at his office, and using Adobe Illustrator as his design tool, Paul fashioned a series of panels that slot together without any nails or screws.

The bed and side table in the master bedroom are from Loaf. In the adjacent bathroom, an antique mirror hangs above a Duravit sink. “There’s a slight Arts and Crafts feel to it,” says Marston of the house.

The units don't even require foundations—simple ground screws from Krinner are enough to support them.

Here's the custom-built galley kitchen and bar. They installed new mahogany laminate to match the original furniture. Brandes designed the ceiling lights, and Area 63 fabricated and installed them.

Sliding fritted glass doors provide privacy and sectioned-off spaces when needed.

Stainless steel with a mirror polish covers the “moving wall” in the dressing room, which opens to one of the bedrooms.

Play area

David Baird designed the custom sliding doors with materials and hardware from Home Depot. The doors also act as a makeshift critique wall for Bo and Sky’s artwork.

This photo of Sævik Retreat, a 1960s artist’s retreat in southeastern Norway designed by Irene Sævik (featured in Dwell in November 2013) will be displayed in the Scandinavian pavilion at Dwell on Design in Los Angeles. Photo by Ivan Brodey.

The custom sliding laundry room door by Dotzler Designs was made from glass and steel to allow natural light into the laundry room, and doubles as a ladder to access storage space above.