House

Even with multiple structures across their 10-acre property in Maine, Diana Arcadipone and Scott Berk only had one bathroom. This 560-square-foot guesthouse by architect Leslie Benson gives them a second, as well as space for visiting family and friends.

After: The living room overlooks the great room below. Now when you walk in the house, you can see clear out to the trees in the back—an idea sparked by an interior designer friend who commented that the most important aspect of a design is what you see when you walk in the front door.

Before: All of the framing was as old as the house, which dates to 1912, and much of it was crumbling.

Before: The previous owner had lived in the house since 1959, and it was quite literally falling apart when Zeke and his partner purchased it.

When the team presented the plans to the neighborhood historical society for approval, “everyone was thrilled,” says Martin Locraft, a member of the architecture team.

Before: The renovation completely updated the home’s original bathrooms.

The bedroom walls are painted TK.

After: The primary bedroom. Walnut sheaths a wall of closets that leads into the bathroom, where the walnut continues on the opposite wall and behind the vanity.

The front of the compact ADU has a small patio that extends the living space outdoors.

The cabin is designed as a place for Andrés’s teenage children to host barbecues and get-togethers. To make the most of the site’s impressive views, Stanaćev Granados designed a 600-square-foot cube with simple lines. The cabin, nicknamed Pabellón Galeo, is made of local wood (mostly pine) and glass.

High-level windows in the north gable, and on either side of the fireplace allow the sun to reach deep into the living room to be absorbed by the thermal mass of the polished concrete floor,

Michael and Teegan prepare lunch with their daughter, Perse, in the kitchen of their contemporary farmhouse in Australia’s Piccadilly Valley.

In the midst of the pandemic, a family leverages industry connections and modular construction to quickly rebuild a cliffside getaway on a fire-ravaged site in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve.

The concrete-and-steel home by Faulkner Architects gives one family a refined escape in the mountains of Northern California.

A covered boardwalk connects the mudroom and guest bedroom structure (left) to the gathering pavilion with the living room, kitchen, and dining area (right). The boardwalk in the foreground leads to the primary bedroom cabin.

With its shou sugi ban exterior, high-pitched roof and monochrome palette, this family home nods to Japanese design.

Natalie and Lauren opted for high-quality finishes to ensure the kitchen would stand up to many years of use.

Natalie and Lauren wanted to replicate the feel of a Zen garden with their home’s central courtyard. The garden features a Japanese maple that pops against the charred timber cladding, while structurally, the U-shape design ushers light right through to the back of the house.

Olive-green Fireclay tile creates a spa-like experience in the bathroom and fluctuates in tone throughout the day.