Beneath the postcard-like backdrop of La Concha mountain, a previously abandoned Spanish villa received a modernist revamp for a couple and their young child. Natural, earthy interiors connect the living spaces to the lush surroundings, with the light-filled kitchen opening directly onto an outdoor pergola and pool.

The Mt. Buller Home of Andrew and Tiffany Percy and Family via the Design Files.

The main level features a bold blue kitchen illuminated by skylights.

Situated behind the kitchen, the lower level bathroom is equally suited to cleaning up before a meal or taking a leisurely bath. Crisp white fixtures, including a Kaldewei Centro Duo bath, ensure that the bathroom feels as light and airy as the rest of the house.

The toilet must always be odor-free and look pleasing, be silent not offending any of our senses, can be a tall order.

Twisty columns

Naturally rusted steel sheathes the cabins that Malek Alqadi built on a 1954 homestead outside Joshua Tree National Park. "I loved the idea of stitching the existing structure back together, reinforcing it, and giving it life again without compromising the beautiful setting it’s in," he says.

Custom-designed back-painted glass in the kitchen backsplash brings the blue-gray tones of the water inside, while Caesarstone Black Raven countertops provide a stark contrast. Bulthaup appliances update the kitchen's functionality.

Braun KF 21 Aromaster designed by Florian Seiffert and Hartwig Hahlcke (1976), in white or orange.

The bed in the parents' room is flanked by Trizo21 Austere via Pantoufle floor lamps with cheeky frames by Hotel Magique above. The bench is from H&M Home.

In the kitchen, the same materials and shapes are echoed, including the custom barstools that surround the kitchen island—which bare resemblance to the seating options he designed for the living room.

The original kitchen was designed by the Booths, and Robert renovated it in 2000, making it ergonomic for his wife Sirkka's shorter frame.

An open floor plan with uninterrupted views from the front to the back of the home provides a stark transformation from the original “boxy” floor plan. Designed to cater to university events as well as day-to-day routines of the home’s residents, Meade notes that the first floor was designed so that “only one room can close itself off in order to create visual and physical openess. If you are hosting events, you can have everyone in a single space, but still have them in different “spaces.”

Kitchen

Picture window looks onto a porch with a nice view of the yard. Sun sets directly into the window view.

Casual meals are eaten at the kitchen’s glacier white Corian countertop, which features Aalto K65 stools. The island’s Blanco sinks offer a direct, uninterrupted sightline to the garden.