The concrete wall behind the porch provides a backdrop for the wood stove and privacy from the road.

A bathroom is tucked beside the new sunroom behind the sliding barn door, which was found at Albany Architectural Salvage.

The screened porch functions as the building’s primary bedroom, creating a cabin-like experience.

Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth collaborated on a prefab shed-meets-sleeping cabin, which can be assembled with little else than a screwdriver. Bergroth, inspired by nomadic yurt dwellers, wanted an indoor/outdoor experience for her property in Finland.

Counterweights Drum pendant lamp by George Kovaks from Lumens hangs above a Docksta table from Ikea.

View into the rooftop greenhouse with its outdoor kitchen and pedal bin from Vipp.

The residence receives all-day sun, which is particularly captivating when bathing the rooftop area in a late afternoon golden glow.

Jocie designed the custom built-in bench. A vintage Moroccan wedding blanket is paired with a vintage rug from Graham’s grandparents and two pillows from Block Shop Textiles.

The new interior includes a meditation room with an Isamu Noguchi lamp, flooring made of tatami mats, and a Murphy bed for visitors.

The simple finishes provide a backdrop for the homeowners’ collection of carefully curated furnishings, many of which are vintage (and, yes, cozy). One partner is a graphic designer, and she brought her own strong design sensibilities to the project. “She likes contrast, black and white, and bold color,” says Cuppett.

For the time being, Cori does her painting in the dining room. “Eventually we’ll build a studio here,” she says. “But for now, because we eat outside most of the time, the dining room it is.”

The meditation studio features a view of the property through black-stained slats.

Inspired by a French farmhouse, this rustic she shed features multi-pane French doors, exposed roof rafters and joists, and earthy terra cotta floor tiles. With its wide-plank wood cladding sitting on gray stone foundations, this shed looks as though it has been around for centuries, but also has a simple, modern sensibility.

Out in rural Oregon, a she shed was constructed almost entirely of old multi-pane windows that the owner was able to reuse from local construction projects. Since cross-ventilation was a priority, more than two-thirds of the windows can be opened. The wide-plank wood floors help continue to bring the outdoors in, and minimal interior furniture and finishes keep this space comfortable for meditation.

A baby-blue George Mulhauser Plycraft lounge chair and plants make this a cozy nook for reading and relaxing.

The meditation room overlooks a nearby hilltop in one of the clients' favorite views, framed by floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

In the sunroom, Clara designed a custom bookcase to span the length of the space.

A custom-designed chairlift system from Versicor allows Matthew access to the tower. “The new house has really liberated Matthew. My goal is that he will have access to everything by one means or another,” says Ed Slattery.

The yoga studio can also be converted into guesthouse.

A tranquil nook allows the homeowner to practice yoga.

The sunroom—or “museum of natural history,” as the couple call it—showcases an array of objects, including a massive chair carved from a single tree trunk and a terra cotta elephant used as a side table.

One of the home’s more fanciful features is a meditation tower that offers views to Baltimore’s Loch Raven Reservoir and beyond.

The window sill is Virginia Mist Granite, which extends as a countertop on the exterior side. "One of the things we were really excited to be able to do was to create that Nana wall opening, to connect that interior space directly with the exterior terrace," says Garry. The difference in grades between the exterior and interior means someone can comfortable sit inside and converse with someone sitting outside at the bar.

Shondi and Dash enjoy the new sun room space, which now provides the perfect spot for morning coffee, as well as a home for Shondi's plants. The sun room is "the connection to the outside," says Suzanne. "We changed the materials on the floor from wood to Chicago common brick, so it feels a little more exterior. It also has a heated floor underneath so it’s warm in the winter and also absorbs light during the day, which keeps the floor warm."

On nice days, doors can be opened for indoor/outdoor flow.

A pair of double doors leads to the large screened porch. At the ceiling, rafters underscore the skylight, casting shadows that mark the passage of the sun.

The screened porch "added even more flexibility to how [the clients] would be spending time there," says Shaw, and immerses them in the forest setting with providing protection from the bugs, including Maine’s notorious black flies.

The garage can also be used as a fitness/workout room, workshop and conservatory.

"We slid perforated metal screens in between the boards so that the screen porch still keeps the insects out, yet you get that dramatic feeling of the light coming through the spaces in the boards," says Faulkner.

Once the children's playroom, the sitting area can be made private with an articulating cork wall, original to the home.

The play of shadows is created by the two different wall systems: the interior framework, which is made from salvaged wood, and the new reclaimed redwood exterior.

An old unused garage in this San Francisco family home is turned into a “box suffused with light” just a short distance from the main house, where family members can escape to meditate, relax or get creative.