Powell Ranch

After renting in San Francisco for a decade, DIY couple Molly Fiffer and Jeff Waldman bought 10 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the pair and their friends built a cabin compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, and an outdoor shower. The cabin is made from locally sourced, rough-sawn redwood, which the couple stained with nontoxic Eco Wood Treatment to give the panels an aged appearance and a dark patina.

Arbor

Extra-wide concrete pillars help to support the studio at its core.

Existing boulders from the site were moved and used as minimalist landscaping at Casa Roca. Solar panels above were prefabricated off site so as not to disturb the surroundings.

The use of the stone as a foundation allowed the budget to be reduced as it minimized the amount of work and materials.

A detached garage and guesthouse/studio creates a buffer between a busy street and the rest of the property, which includes the main house as well as a pool, sauna, and pond, so that life in the residence can feel more private and secluded.

Surrounded by forest and accessed via a fairy-tale bridge, the resilient forever home showcases the strength of cross-laminated timber.

Faisal and Sindhu Arabi live in the Connect Homes’ Connect 10 home with their seven-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. Connect Homes was founded in 2013 and has built more than 100 homes in the past decade.

Architect Jesús Porras Montesino collaborated with the nonprofit Kounkuey Design Initiative to help build the Kibera Public Space Project in Kenya. “I’m less interested in aesthetics and more interested in ensuring every square centimeter in a building will be useful,” he has said of his work.

The home’s undulating roof, composed of exposed wood beams and plywood sheathing, references the rolling terrain. A Cor-Ten steel–clad outdoor fireplace was built by BRD Construction; the same material was used for the interior fireplace, as surround on some windows, as cladding for the garage door, and on the chimney. The lounge chairs are from the Finn Collection from Design Within Reach. Tim Kirby of Surface Design Inc. tackled the site’s landscape architecture. - Leelanau County, Michigan Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

Quartzite kitchen island countertops and a wall of off-white ceramic tile between the doorways complement the space's walnut cabinetry and brass surfaces.

The kitchen countertops, backsplash and sink hardware are all clad in brass, only slightly more expensive than comparable surfaces choices and naturally antibacterial.

In the kitchen, quartzite kitchen island countertops and a wall of off-white ceramic tile complement the walnut cabinetry and brass surfaces.