Zach Edelson

There’s virtue to be found within four walls. Ho-hum activities are now the highlights of the week, and a fastidious routine helps me find solid ground.

The lower submerged level is comprised of the kids’ and guest bedrooms as well as the multi-purpose room—is a popular hangout for the kids and family dog, Roxy. The Chair and Bar Bench, both by Hans Wegner for PP Møbler, a Muuto 3-seater sofa by Andersen & Voll, and David Weeks' Tripod No. 303 floor lamp mix midcentury modern with contemporary design.

The Mariscals' daughter, Olivia, whiles away the afternoon in the breezy living room. She sits on a sheepskin-covered Flag Halyard chair by Danish master Hans Wegner.

Perhaps the family’s biggest priority was their connection to the outdoors. The north-facing facade is almost entirely made up of operable windows with screens for ventilation and—a favorite of Jeff, the family father—listening to the lullabye of cicadas and spring peeper frogs during the summer. The joint living and dining area features a Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Son, a Groundpiece sofa from Flexform, David Weeks' Tripod No. 303 floor lamp, and PP Møbler's Circle Chair and Fruit Table. The latter two are also by Hans Wegner.

Interior designer Danielle Roberts sought practical materials for the living room, such as custom wide-wale upholstery for a CB2 sofa. The fallen-wood coffee table is by St. Louis–based designer David Stine; the chair is by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn.

A Flag Halyard chair by Hans Wegner in long-haired sheepskin occupies one end of the living room.

Natural light throughout the house eliminates the need for excessive overhead lighting. The master bedroom features a Pixo Optical LED table lamp, a Halyard chair by Hans Wegner for PP Møbler Flag, and David Weeks' Cement Standing floor lamp.

At right, the family dines at a mid-century walnut table found on eBay, seated at a mix of new and antique Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner.

A 14-foot-wide opening at the rear of the house contributes, along with the concrete flooring, to an almost seamless transition from indoors to the patio. A spate of mid-century furnishings includes chairs by Hans Wegner and Poul Kjærholm and an Achille Castiglioni Arco lamp.

An artist and an architect built their home, studios, and an exhibition space inside a lushly landscaped Antwerp warehouse.

A monumental German climate map enlivens the dining area, which also sports CH 23 & CH 30 chairs by Hans Wegner.

On the first level, the living room and dining room connect to a southeast-facing terrace, which catches the morning and midday sun. A pair of larch sliding doors join the two rooms. Two Marcel Breuer Wassily chairs from Knoll flank the rug, from Room & Board, and Portland Willamette Ovation II fireplace.

The living area features a Petrie sofa from Crate & Barrel and a Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer from Knoll. A vintage walnut coffee table by Lane Furniture sits atop a rug that the couple purchased at Weisshouse, a Pittsburgh home-furnishings store.

The living room is furnished with Wassily chairs by Marcel Breuer, a Limbo coffee table from Roche Bobois, and a Reid sofa from Design Within Reach.

“We kept the tones very neutral because we wanted the colors of the garden to come through,” Ong says. “Light also plays an important role here, and again the neutral tones help highlight the changes in the light and sky.” Ong’s team used Melbourne's Ajar Furniture and Design store to supply the home's furnishings, and this Marcel Breuer Club Chair Model B3 sits off the dining room.

The LC4 is joined by another tubular steel classic, the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer, along with furniture from CB2 in this Seattle home.

This midcentury gem lays in Crestwood Hills, in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, an endangered enclave of midcentury post-and-beam houses designed by A. Quincy Jones and Whitney R. Smith. Elise Loehnen and Rob Fissmer bought their house, which dates to 1950, in 2012, furnishing the living room with a Jasper sofa by Room & Board, Laccio tables by Marcel Breuer, and a wool sisal rug from Madison Flooring and Design.

Bowie and Malboeuf’s unit occupies three levels facing the property’s backyard. The living-dining room has a mix of vintage pieces—a Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer and an LC4 chaise by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand—alongside furniture from CB2.

Rusticated clay bricks form the home's unbroken façade, anchoring it to the site and creating the sense of “weight and permanence” the owners desired. The small building blocks added charm and texture, while allowing for a constantly shifting interpretation of scale throughout the project.

Once past the main threshold, the house opens up to the outside, literally and figuratively. Three courtyards built around existing trees flow seamlessly into a series of rooms with glazed walls and sliding glass doors.

In the gravel-lined entry court shaded by a Japanese maple tree, furniture from Beall and Bell—an antique shop in Greenport, New York—mixes with Pendant Globes by Primelite Manufacturing. Bobo pillows by Adler outfit the banquette, and cedar clads the interior of the seating area.

The Heids incorporated mostly native plants into the courtyard, which Andrew designed as an ovoid decagon. The George Nelson Platform bench is from Design Within Reach. Solarban low-e glass improves insulation. The layout, says Andrew, is meant to “bring people together.”

“When you enter the courtyard, you realize that you have left the forest and entered the house,” Hutchison says. “We spoke often with [the clients] about the quality of this courtyard. [The client] likes to call it his own Zen garden, although I think that he also likes that the courtyard facade serves to keep the numerous elk in the area at bay.” Concrete pavers, gravel, and ipe decking cover the ground.

The open and airy courtyard and dining area encourages outdoor living. A custom table made from Andiroba wood and Magis White Air armchairs complete the space.

“The new living area is now nestled between the rear garden and the new courtyard,” Ong says. “We felt this approach not only respected [the clients’] interests and lifestyle, but we hope it will enhance it.” Aluminum-framed windows and doors by Capral allow the owners to bring the outside in.

Aaron and Yuka Ruell transformed a Portland ranch house into a retro-inspired family home with plenty of spaces—like the trellised porch—for their four children to roam.

Overnight, the project turned from a renovation into a full bore demolition. In its wake, a FEMA-compliant 5-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom house rose on the site.

An outdoor shower in the lower courtyard includes most of the materials that define the project, including Cor-Ten steel posts, horizontal ipe slats and decking, a custom seat and towel shelf set into a natural boulder, and concrete pavers. The yard includes many elements built for play, like a water feature embedded in a concrete wall that is fed by runoff rainwater collected from the breezeway roof.

The Zen-inspired retreat is divided into two volumes, a private and communal wing. A Terracotta Army sculpture keeps watch in the courtyard.

In their concrete-walled courtyard, Yuka and Aaron watch as twins Emerson and Jasper, daughters Maude and Mirene, and Alfie the dog play. The house is painted in Black Bean Soup by Benjamin Moore, a color in keeping with the period of the original architecture. The garden was designed by Lauren Hall-Behrens of Lilyvilla Gardens.

“There was the challenge of how to build appropriately on such a sublime and pristine site,” explains Pejic. “It is akin to building a house in a natural cathedral.”

The gated courtyard was conceived in halves: a slightly sunken sandbox-like patio and a miniature green space. Its connection to both pieces of the house and the garage encourages traversal and use as an outdoor living space.

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.

Several courtyards help bring greenery in. On the west side of the home, plants absorb sunlight and create another passive cooling feature. Crushed limestone pebbles and an exposed stone wall complete the lush space.