The principal bedroom in the Totoro House features a circular window that was inspired by the East Asian concept of shakkei. A small hatch allows fresh air to enter the interior, while a built-in cushion on the window frame acts as a small seat for the homeowners’ children. "The window allows the clients to be private, yet also connected to the rear courtyard," says architect Clinton Cole.
Jikkō-in is a small temple near the Sanzen-in Temple in Ōhara, Kyoto. The peaceful grounds include the Keishin-en Garden, which was designed to incorporate "borrowed scenery" from the mountains across the valley.
Japanese practice Kengo Kuma and Associates teamed up with Suteki America to build the Suteki House for the 2017 NW Natural Street of Dreams residential construction showcase in Oregon. The home "envisions a new mode of suburban living by combining Japanese spatial principles and a nature-based, American way of life," according to the architects.
The plywood is separated into three different panels vertically. There’s one large chunk in the middle and a shorter chunk on each side, like baseboards and crown molding.
“We pulled apart one volume and staggered it along the buildable area of the property,” says architect Matthew Ahlberg of Portland firm Barrett Made. The home is clad in unfinished cedar, meant to weather over time.
Reflecting the diversity of the Maine forest, the kitchen island and floors are maple and the stools are oak. A colorful painting by Jenny Prinn provides contrast.
The panels come together in a grid pattern to create a weather- and fire-resistant “skin” for the home.
Cork doesn’t absorb water, making it well suited for the backsplash in the bathroom.
To keep the home as healthy as possible, Greg didn’t use any paint or drywall.
In the kitchen, Peter created a small built-in table and two seats; anchored to the wall with stainless steel brackets, they can hold up to 330 pounds and fold down when not in use. He also designed all the cabinetry and shelving, and selected Terra Cubo porcelain tile by Marca Corona from Garden State Tile for the floor.
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Dwell Magazine : November / December 2017
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Tucked into one end of the garage, a potting area is a favorite of Joan, who is an avid gardener and plant lover. The design team used leftover cedar from the ceilings to create the work surface.
At the back of the house, an extended steel downspout is positioned over a boulder to create a waterfall every time it rains. Over the years, moss will grow on the stone, further propagating the local plant life.
In the primary bathroom, a simple palette of concrete floors and dark-stained cedar falls to the background, allowing the trees and stumps outside—seen through a purposefully placed window—to take center stage.
The primary bedroom was kept simple—a bed, nightstands, and a set of chairs—to maximize the forest’s presence.
Architect Mark Johnson has long been inspired by the texture produced by traditional Indigenous canoe carving. The design team worked with Jim Barker at British Columbia woodworking studio Barker Manufacturing, to produce Ken and Joan’s cedar door. Its texture was produced using a CNC adze.
Divided into three volumes (plus a garage), the single-level residence incorporates steel and stained and natural cedar. The architectural lines were kept simple and paired with the palette they help the house blend almost seamlessly with the site.
Although the width of the stairway walls didn't change, new wood treads and a wider extension at the bottom of the space help make it feel both brighter and less confining.
The recycled bricks were also used to create an outdoor shower.
In Fingal Head, New South Wales, Australia, Blankslate founders Nigel Chouri and Crick King completely reenvisioned a ’50s beach shack and its garage. They spent $911K for the property, and $322K on the renovation. The two structures are connected by a plaza defined by recycled bricks.
While Leah and Kyle initially wanted to fully open up the wall between the kitchen and the living room, discovering that it was load-bearing changed their plans. “We ended up opening the wall up so you could see into the beautiful kitchen, and made a custom hood vent with shelves,” says Leah. “Looking back, I am not sure I even would have wanted it removed now.”
In the living room, the ceiling rafters were exposed, with their holes and rough texture left untouched.
The new kitchen, part of the reconstructed extension, takes advantage of ample glass.
The material palette is simple by design: red brick, polished concrete, and wood.
The kitchen cabinetry is custom made by Fusteria Jaume Olive SL.
The couple hired architect Matthew Hufft to design a simple house where they could spend time with friends and family, and rent out to vacationers. The interior of the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is white with birch plywood, the latter material influenced by Jon's work with Scandinavian cabins at Getaway.
For the lower-level den, “Sean wanted something that felt really cozy,” says Alves. She and Echeverry covered the walls with Portola’s deep-green Timberline limewash and installed a built-in sofa to enclose a retreat from the rest of the open-plan house. They kept the home’s original hardwood floors, layering them with vintage Turkish rugs, and installed recessed shelving after discovering a hidden crawl space behind one of the walls.
Rather than one pendant light, a smattering of little globe lights expand above the dining table. This way, the couple can have a small table-for-two or comfortably host a group without being focused under one centered pendant light.
The view from the courtyard at the Casita, added in 2020.
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