The prospect of retirement doesn’t just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
12 Simple All-Wood Bedrooms
July 6, 2015
These bedrooms declare that warm and cozy can be minimal too.
Long before he moved into the building, Dutch architect Felix Claus admired 51 rue Raynouard, an apartment block in Paris designed and built in 1932 by Auguste Perret. “It’s the sheer abundance with which limited materials are used here that first struck me,” Claus says. “The wall-to-wall French oak paneling, combined with materials that were ahead of their time—columns made not from marble but from stone-blasted concrete, the extraordinary round plaster ceiling inset, and the fiber-wood paneling...”
Photo by
Originally appeared in Modern High-Design Pied-à-Terre in Paris
A prefabricated off-the-grid vacation home in eastern Washington provides not just a getaway, but lessons in learning to be one with the land. The 820-square-foot, two-story home was built from solid cross-laminated timber panels and sheets of unfinished raw steel, all manufactured offsite. The wooden bedroom, like much of the house, is outfitted with only the basics.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Learn How to Connect with Nature from This Off-the-Grid Prefab
A private and escapist enclave, the house that architects Annick Houle and Stephen O’Connor have created for themselves on Australia’s Mornington Peninsula, sits in complete contrast to the family’s period Victorian house back in Melbourne. “This house is really about getting back to basics,” says Houle. The materials chosen for the house tie in with the rugged, rural setting. Tallowwood, a native eucalyptus, was used for the decking and also for the internal flooring and wall paneling, including in the master bathroom.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Local Wood Covers This Getaway for Two Architects
A new home at Sea Ranch, a half-century-old enclave of rugged modernist houses on the Northern California coast, captures the spirit of its surroundings. Its spaces flow into each other under an angled ceiling made of richly hued plywood—which, architect Judith Sheine says, makes the interiors “warm, warm, warm.” On the sidewalls, everything above the datum line is covered in the same plywood; everything below is concrete, with grooves and pits that seem appropriate to the rugged surroundings.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Modern Home Joins a Storied Site on the Pacific Ocean
A modernist cabin in British Columbian ski country is the perfect retreat for a family of outdoor adventurers. The cabin was not intended for peace and quiet. “They wanted a home that was designed to accommodate a lot of people,” the architect says. The residents, who live in Calgary, frequently entertain, and with 16 beds, bunks, and twin-bed-wide window seats, there is no shortage of places to sleep.
Courtesy of
Matthew Millman
Originally appeared in Modern Weekend Ski Home
On Puget Sound, activist and filmmaker Anna Hoover collaborated with Les Eerkes, a principal at Olson Kundig Architects, on a 693-square-foot studio in the woods. Using freecycled materials and a six-footed foundation to rein in construction costs, Hoover and Eerkes created a distinctive structure that treads lightly on the land. In the sleeping loft, floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the fir canopy of the surrounding forest. A door next to the bed drops down, opening the room to its surroundings.
Photo by
Originally appeared in An Eco-Friendly Compact Cabin in Washington
Architect Christoph Kaiser turned a dismantled grain silo, purchased online from a Kansas farmer, into a cozy studio in Phoenix, Arizona. The 190-square-foot space is outfitted with a highly customized interior that serves as a comfortable home for him and his wife. Scrap walnut plank flooring purchased on Craigslist for $350 accounted for most of the interior wood, including the sleeping loft.
Courtesy of
Mark Lipczynski
Originally appeared in You Won't Believe the Cozy Home Inside This Converted Grain Silo
When architect Nick Martin was hired to rework an art curator’s Hamptons property into a Zen-like getaway from the big city, he took an appropriately holistic view. It’s the beach house that’s got it all: green technology; passive solar design; rich materials; an expansive feeling, despite a petite half-acre corner lot; and a design concept that references its humble beginnings as an off-the-rack kit house. Martin Architects designed a bed in white oak for the neutral master bedroom.
Courtesy of
Patrick Bernard
Originally appeared in A Sustainable Mid-Century Beach House
Custom woodwork and an open interior define a 520-square-foot backyard retreat for a busy family. Strips of white-oak flooring line the interior of the studio, created by designer Jeff Vincent and PATH Architecture. PATH partnered with local woodworkers Benjamin Klebba and Bren Reis to build furniture and cabinetry into the walls. A couch slides out on hidden casters and transforms into a full-size bed where guests can sleep.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Salvaged Wood Renovation in Portland
An entreprenurial pair of Belgian brothers land in one of Texas's few bohemian oases, become property owners, and find that sharing a house in adulthood isn't half bad. What they built is a beautiful combination of functional architecture and modern aesthetics that is as much a sculptural showcase as a functional home. During construction, Thomas Bercy, one of the brothers, and his architectural partner Calvin Chen used sealed cabinet-grade birch plywood for the interior walls and ceilings.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Red, Wood, and Blue
Australian firm Clare Cousins Architects proves urban living and functional family homes are not mutually exclusive. The firm smartly (and inexpensively) reimagined an 800-square-foot apartment to provide more than enough space for a young family. The new floor plan maximizes social areas and minimizes sleeping spaces through the creation of “micro” bedrooms that fit a single bed. The rooms were sectioned off with full-height, pine plywood joinery — a nod to Shigeru Ban’s Furniture House.
Avid outdoors enthusiasts, a couple was looking to build a modest year-round retreat in Washington’s Cascade Mountains near the region's hiking and cross-country skiing trails. Located in the Methow Valley near Winthrop, Washington, the area can reach thirty degrees below zero in winter, and up to 110 degrees in summer. Balance Associates worked to create an 850-square-foot cabin with commanding views that's well-adapted to the region. The bedroom is outfitted with plywood, used throughout the home for interior surfacing for the warm tones it provided.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Simple Cabin Embraces Its Mountain Setting
Long before he moved into the building, Dutch architect Felix Claus admired 51 rue Raynouard, an apartment block in Paris designed and built in 1932 by Auguste Perret. “It’s the sheer abundance with which limited materials are used here that first struck me,” Claus says. “The wall-to-wall French oak paneling, combined with materials that were ahead of their time—columns made not from marble but from stone-blasted concrete, the extraordinary round plaster ceiling inset, and the fiber-wood paneling...”
Photo by Hotze Eisma.
Latest Articles
You don’t have to choose between sustainable energy and curb appeal.
July 19, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
July 06, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 29, 2016
Docomomo US announces the winners of this year's Modernism in America Awards. Each project showcases exemplary modern restoration techniques, practices, and ideas.
June 27, 2016
After last year’s collaboration, we were excited to team up with Monogram again for the 2016 Monogram Modern Home Tour.
June 27, 2016
A strategic rewire enhances a spec house’s gut renovation.
June 26, 2016
Coralie Gourguechon's paper objects will make you see technology in a whole new way.
June 26, 2016
Smart technology helps a house in Aspen, Colorado, stay on its sustainable course.
June 25, 2016
The aesthetic appeal of personal electronics has long fueled consumer interest. A new industrial design book celebrates devices that broke the mold.
June 25, 2016
An angled deck transforms a backyard in Menlo Park, California, into a welcoming gathering spot.
June 24, 2016
Today, we kicked off this year’s annual Dwell on Design at the LA Convention Center, which will continue through Sunday, June 26th. Though we’ve been hosting this extensive event for years, this time around is particularly special.
June 24, 2016
Two designers restore a low-slung midcentury gem in Napa, California, by an unsung Bay Area modernist.
June 24, 2016
San Francisco–based designer Maca Huneeus created her family’s weekend retreat near Lake Tahoe with a relaxed, sophisticated sensibility.
June 24, 2016
A Toronto couple remodel their home with a special emphasis on a spacious kitchen and a material-rich bathroom.
June 24, 2016
In Kansas City, an architecture studio designs an adaptable house for a musician on a budget.
June 23, 2016
By straightening angles, installing windows, and adding vertical accents, architect Aaron Ritenour brought light and order to an irregularly shaped apartment in the heart of Athens, Greece.
June 23, 2016
A modest kitchen addition to a couple’s cottage outside of Brisbane proves that one 376-square-foot room can revive an entire home.
June 23, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 22, 2016
A modern dwelling replaces a fallen farmhouse.
June 22, 2016
Seeking an escape from bustling city life, a Manhattan couple embarks on a renovation in the verdant Hudson Valley.
June 22, 2016
Atelier Moderno renovated an old industrial building to create a luminous, modern home.
June 21, 2016
Anchored in a small San Francisco canal, this floating home takes its cues from a classic city habitat.
June 21, 2016
From the bones of a neglected farmstead in rural Scotland emerges a low-impact, solar-powered home that’s all about working with what was already there.
June 21, 2016
An architect with a taste for unconventional living spaces creates a small house at lofty heights with a starring view.
June 21, 2016
Marjan Van Aubel makes technology a little more natural.
June 21, 2016
Building on the site of a former one-car garage, an architect creates his family’s home in an evolving neighborhood of Brooklyn.
June 20, 2016
In a Brooklyn backyard, an off-duty architect builds a structure that tests his attention to the little things.
June 20, 2016
In the suburbs of Paris, an architect with an eco-friendly practice doesn’t let tradition stand in the way of innovation.
June 20, 2016
Join the Discussion