This garage space uses iconic checkerboard floor tiles to contrast the rustic barn door that provides entry to the rest of The Barn.

The bathrooms are stocked with Malin + Goetz toiletries and towels from the Nashville linen maker Turkish-T. The walk-in showers are lined with white subway tile. Photo by Caroline Allison.

Another view of the garage reveals its extensive space to house vehicles and protect them from the elements.

The restaurant, which opened in late 2013, has already received national attention for its menu. The 404’s local emphasis is carried throughout the both the hotel and the restaurant, which serves dishes made from ingredients that are sourced locally or grown from the rooftop herb garden. The tabletops are repurposed from the original floor of the shipping container. Photo by Caroline Allison.

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.

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

An intimate hotel lobby provides additional relaxation space for guests. Because the hotel has only five rooms, it is not uncommon for large groups or touring bands book the entire hotel, turning the space into a de facto living room. A PIXO desk lamp sits on the lobby desk next to the antique couch. Photo by Caroline Allison.

The hotel bedrooms are an eclectic mix of local antiques and modern furnishings. Much of the furniture, including beds and wardrobes were designed and manufactured by architect Nick Dryden, allowing them to be customized for the rooms. Lighting in the rooms is by Artemide and Pablo. Photo by Caroline Allison

The 404 is a new boutique hotel and restaurant in Nashville’s rapidly changing Gulch neighborhood. Housed in a former auto shop next to the legendary Station Inn music venue, the small space stands in stark contrast to the new, large developments that have recently sprung up. The restaurant in front is partially housed in a shipping container that both extends the entry up to the sidewalk and acts as a visual focal point on an otherwise subdued exterior. Photo by Caroline Allison.

A passage between the walls for hide and seek.

Because owner Mark Banks and architect Nick Dryden wanted to preserve as much of the original structure as possible, they faced the challenge of creating a comfortable space within a small footprint. The solution was to take advantage of the existing structure's 23-foot ceilings, and create lofts in the bedrooms. Photo by Caroline Allison.

This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

Foyer