Kate’s father predicted they would never use the crow’s nest–like tower, which is reached by climbing a narrow staircase.

Resident Peter Østergaard (with Maja, 6, and Carl, 20 months) and architect and photographer Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen have been best friends since they were 13, which makes for easy collaboration. Says Bjerre-Poulsen: “There are always a lot of challenges in a renovation, but Peter and Åsa trusted my judgment and gave me a completely free hand. Usually it’s hard to push people into unconventional solutions, but Peter has all these wild and crazy ideas.” One such idea was to embed a transparent glass-and-iron door in the floor, operated by a hydraulic pump, which allows access to the subterranean wine cellar. At night, the lit-up cellar glows, lending the compact living room an increased sense of verticality.

Karen White, David MacNaughtan, and their sons, Griffin and Finlay, hang out on the front deckof their narrow home in Toronto’s leafy Roncesvalles neighborhood. A narrow modernist composition of glass panes and purple brick, the house slips like a bookmark between two older buildings, a bright three-story abode on a lot narrower than most suburban driveways. Photo by Dean Kaufman. Read more about the small house here.

The space is also adorned with timber cladding, as seen on the entry door.

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden.

White oak paneling imbues uniformity and warmth into the hallway, kitchen, and living spaces.

In realizing their dream to build a country retreat in upstate New York, Sandy Chilewich and Joe Sultan—proprietors of the textiles firm Chilewich|Sultan—eschewed a mountainous view for an understated wooded plot. At 800 square feet, the flat-roofed home is a modest structure for the expansive 10-acre property.

Fruit, fruit endless fruit for breakfast.

Villa Hohenlohe by Philipp Architekten won the prestigious Hugo Häring Award in 2014.

A bright corner in the kitchen houses an Electra coffee maker and a quirky pendant lamp by Lightyears.

White platters from Crate & Barrel allowed the food—lox, crudités, and cornichons—to stand out atop the Saarinen table.

This tree house in Sweden with a mirrored exterior by Tham and Videgård Arkitekter is just large enough to host two people.

LA-based real estate development company Prime Five Homes sought to create a home that was clean, peaceful, and uncluttered, particularly through material choices and large, open spaces. The central atrium—a recurring element used to expand indoor/outdoor space in Prime Five Homes projects—helps lengthen the living room vertically and creates a light well that fills both the upstairs and downstairs areas with bright daylight.

Two art studios adjoin a central volume at this work/live residence built from terracreto (sustainable concrete), glass, and painted steel just outside of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Residents Austin and Lida Lowrey, retired design and museum professionals, collaborated with their two daughters—Sheridan, an artist, and Elizabeth, an architect—to design the structure as a place for creative contemplation.

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden in the Mill Valley home of Dwell founder Lara Hedberg Deam and architect Chris Deam. Photo by Dustin Aksland.

A path created with Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers meanders through the garden past the master bedroom.

Radamés “Juni” Figueroa lived in his art project tree house, made from found materials, for two fortnights, as part of his artist residency at La Practica at Beta-Local. "The Practice" is an interdisciplinary program of research and production focusing on art, architecture, and design, with an emphasis on collaboration.

A more narrow window focuses the eye on tree trunks, creating an “abstracted view of the landscape,” says the firm.

Strong lines on the floor and the walls reinforce the notion of old and new.

The Caroma shower head meets the highest level of Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) at three stars.

The plan of this house in British Columbia by Vancouver architects Heather Howat and David Battersby of BattersbyHowat Architects revolves around a rocky outcropping lush with life that acts as the home’s central atrium. The granite was left intact in order to serve as the nucleus of the courtyard, and the walls of windows draw a wealth of natural daylight into the back of the building.

A salvaged 19th-century soaking tub wrapped in stainless steel is topped by Hudson Reed faucets.

The futuristic fireplace, designed by Engels, is flanked by a BeoLab 20 speaker by Bang & Olufsen.

Crushed stone paths and native plantings, including cacti, wildflowers, and grasses, encompass the surrounding landscape. “We’re nothing but natural,” says Austin. “The cacti, to me, are like pieces of sculpture, each with their own personality. I even named some.”

The 4TREEHOUSE features a futuristic illuminated facade that looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie.

Resident Nadja van Praag enjoys the view from the deck that connects the trio of structures. The idea for the deconstructed plan was inspired in part by Alvar Aalto sketches of a “peeled apart” summer cabin, says architectural designer Riley Pratt, in which interconnected volumes surround a central courtyard.

Architecture for Humanity Home “We are enthusiastic about these home designs that reflect traditional life ways, while exemplifying deep green public-impact architecture," says Nathaniel Corum, architect, Architecture for Humanity.

Just as the barn was extended and cantilevered over the sloped site, so too was the deck off the kitchen, which juts out toward the oak grove. “There are 125 coast live oaks on the property,” says Walker. “They’re beautiful trees, so why not exploit that?” See more ways to use oak in your home.

The courtyard is sunken because of the existing grade. The Albezia shade tree was planted when the outdoor area was still scrap yard, an “act of hope and faith in the future,” says Wittman.

@sticks.and.bricks: it's #treehouse season! please excuse me while I go #playintheyard.

An intricately detailed staircase leads to the central wing’s second level. Its walnut treads and top rail harmonize with the welded steel rod railings. The geometric pattern on the staircase’s risers comes from encaustic tiles that were handmade in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Below Kovel’s apartment is Fritts’ furniture shop, Intelligent Design, and around the corner West Enders can expect a new branch of Seattle’s Ace Hotel and the new Portland headquarters for the architecture firm Zimmer Gunsul Frasca.

Storey calls this house the “Eel’s Nest,” after the narrow urban properties that go by that name in Japan. Its façade was originally going to be wood, but because of local building codes and the fact the building is built along the edge of the property line, the exterior had to be fireproof. Storey covered it with stucco instead. “I wanted it to look as rough as possible,” says the architect. “Since it’s such a small house, it needed to be tough-looking.” The workshop at ground level measures less than 200 square feet, but is set up to accommodate any kind of woodworking or welding; when not in use, the architect parks his car inside.