Table of contents for January/February 2019 in Dwell

What’s the smallest space you’ve ever lived in? Inspired by a tiny home vacation rental in Texas Hill Country featured in this issue (p. 54), we asked our online community about experiences living with less. A 217sf apartment in Tokyo. Every piece of it was laid out perfectly. I had a bedroom, living room, full kitchen, full bathroom, and even a laundry area with a washing machine. Back in North America, we take space for granted and hence tend to waste it. @ideaengine on Instagram All I’m saying is that I live in a 750sf apartment now and it’s too BIG. @curb_it on Instagram We live in a 540sf shipping container conversion. Started as just the two of us, but now we are welcoming a baby and have no plans…

I have a lot of counter space‚ with an island that’s at least ten feet long and six across. That’s so precious in France‚ where kitchens tend to be small. I use it for cooking‚ my desk‚ entertaining‚ and everything else. I need it for work—it’s not a luxury—but it’s a challenge getting people to understand‚ because Parisians are very into compartmentalizing things. The kitchen is supposed to have a door. It’s a new trend to have a cuisine américaine, or American kitchen‚ which is open. The only thing I kept from the original apartment‚ which someone had slightly renovated before me‚ was a small stainless steel counter‚ which made me realize how much I love that material. You can put a hot pan on it‚ you can chop on…

My house was built in 1939 as a duck-hunting cabin right on the edge of San Rafael Bay‚ positioned out over the water. It’s what you could kindly call unpretentious‚ and I’ve kept it very simple. In the bathroom‚ I really wanted to capture the spirit of the place. I didn’t want to suddenly have acres of expensive marble in something that started out little better than a shack. I wanted wood‚ in particular‚ and began thinking about carpentry and ships. I have a full complement of saws and made the cupboards and tub skirt myself‚ using Molger stools from IKEA‚ which were still being made of walnut at the time. I cannibalized them to make doors and panels. At all the joints‚ I didn’t want the screws to show‚…

Samsung’s SmartThings Wifi is a wholehome Wi-Fi solution that blasts a powerful signal to every corner of your home – in an elegant, compact package. Flexible and expandable, one device covers up to 1,500 square feet, with three devices covering up to 4,500 square feet. Bundling serious function into a small package, the device acts as both a powerful mesh Wi-Fi router and SmartThings hub. SmartThings Wifi is fast, reliable, and exceptionally efficient. Utilizing sophisticated band and client steering, Wi-Fi is directed through the fastest possible route. With multiple access points, SmartThings Wifi innovates beyond traditional routers to distribute secure and stable Wi-Fi to the whole home, with no dead zones. The incredibly smart, self-optimizing Wi-Fi system recognizes individual devices, analyzes usage, and diverts more capacity to the places that…

It was a dark and stormy night when architect Guillermo Acuña first glimpsed a narrow strip of land while looking for a place to dock his sailboat in Chile’s Chiloé Archipelago. When he got a closer look the next morning, he was intrigued by the changing landscape and its location on the Bay of Rilán, in the country’s southern region. Twice a day, with the rising of the tide, Lebe becomes an island, cut off from the Isla Grande de Chiloé of which it is part. Despite the region’s harsh weather—Charles Darwin described it as “detestable” in winter and “only a little better” in summer—Guillermo had a vision for a simple retreat on the water. The Santiago native has known Chiloé since the mid-1970s. Though the archipelago lies just off…

As a paper industry recruiter of 30-plus years, I was delighted to see the story on French Paper [“In the Black,” November/December]; you certainly stepped outside the box with this one. Not only do the article and video offer a mini-tutorial in the art of papermaking, but it is proof that small, family-owned manufacturing companies can endure. —Pat Irwin, Appleton, WI My overall impression of the November/December issue is that it is very dark and shadowy, starting with the cover. Even the piece about making paper features black paper! Is somebody going through a goth phase? Lighten up, would you? —Wesley Hammond, Spartanburg, SC From Dwell.com “Adjusted for Inflation” November/December The materials and fitment remind me of Schindler homes in Los Angeles. The cost per square foot is a tough…

Best Dwelling WINNER Los Terrenos by Tatiana Bilbao Estudio RUNNER-UP Cabin at Longbranch by Olson Kundig COMMUNITY PICK Cloaked House by 3r Ernesto Pereira Best Renovation WINNER House Lucien Engels by Studio 22 Architects RUNNER-UP Gin Distillery by Open Practice Architecture COMMUNITY PICK House Lucien Engels by Studio 22 Architects Best Prefab WINNER Syshaus by Arthur de Mattos Casas RUNNER-UP Bard Media Lab by MB Architecture COMMUNITY PICK Syshaus by Arthur de Mattos Casas Best Outdoor WINNER Planar House by Studio MK27 RUNNER-UP Rancho Buena Vida by Root Design Company COMMUNITY PICK Planar House by Studio MK27 Best Small Space WINNER Silo House by Kaiserworks RUNNER-UP Pinwheel ADU by Scott Mooney COMMUNITY PICK Pinwheel ADU by Scott Mooney Best Kitchen WINNER Espace Panet by Anne Sophie Goneau RUNNER-UP Courtyard House…

My husband‚ Larry Miller‚ and I live in a loft-style apartment above our new restaurant‚ Bywater American Bistro. People think I’m crazy for living upstairs from my work‚ but for me‚ it’s actually convenient. I don’t have to drive anywhere. I can go downstairs and check on people. And if I need a break‚ I can just come upstairs and decompress for ten minutes before going back down. I like it a lot. The kitchen was already here when we moved in‚ and it’s pretty efficient. We wanted to keep the space open and informal‚ so the main thing we did was buy this wood table. We wanted something that was very simple and approachable. We have breakfast and dinner at it‚ and when I have friends over they can…

My husband and I moved into our house last February‚ and the bathroom was one of the main spaces we wanted to redo. It had a tiled-in standalone tub and a single vanity‚ and it was laid out in a way that was more closed off‚ which made it feel small and dark. I do a lot of work with skincare brands and bath and body products‚ so I knew I needed a bathroom that had good lighting and photographed well. As it was‚ it looked too outdated. We wanted our whole house to be bright and airy‚ but still cozy‚ and that definitely extended to the bathroom‚ where we decided to knock down some walls and add a window. My favorite feature is the shower. Before‚ it was tiny‚…

ON TASK Healthcare professionals refer to five “activities of daily living,” or basic self-care tasks, to assess whether individuals can live independently or may need extra help: walking and getting around, meal prep and eating, dressing and grooming, bathing, and toileting. We’re getting older. Fast. The number of Americans over 65 is expected to double from roughly 50 million to nearly 100 million by 2060. Just where are we all going to live? Nursing homes and affordable assisted living facilities are in short supply. Besides, given the choice, more than eight out of 10 seniors say they want to stay in their own home. Aging in place makes intuitive sense. We’ve spent many years and lots of money making our homes the right place for us to live. The challenge…

JOURNEY BY DESIGN: AUSTIN, TEXAS Our new travel series heads to ATX, a creative mecca bursting with boutiques, modern eateries, music venues, and outdoor adventures. Get our recommendations at dwell.com/austin-city-guide TOP INSTAGRAMS Our most popular recent posts include a barn-inspired South African home and a soothing spa-like bathroom in Melbourne. See more at instagram.com/dwellmagazine VIDEO HOME TOURS Our coverage of outstanding modern homes doesn’t just end with these pages. Watch our videos to further explore these inspiring residences and hear what their owners have to say about them. dwell.com/videos POLL: In building your dream home, would you opt for traditional construction or prefab? 63% Traditional 37% Prefab…

Embedded in the side of a valley in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, facing out over pristine Lake Wanaka, stands a new home meant to look as though it is part of the land around it. “It resembles the large schist rocks you see all over this region that are half-buried in the hillside and poke out at strange angles,” says Andrew Simpson of WireDog Architecture, the Wellington-based firm that designed it. Simpson’s client was Nigel Greening, a British-born former advertising creative director and musician who is now the proprietor of a local winery, Felton Road. Nigel, his wife, Kharis, and their two school-age children still live part of the time in England, but with plans to spend more of the year on New Zealand’s South Island, their brief for WireDog…

“NEITHER ONE OF US GREW UP IN A MODERN HOUSE, BUT WHAT APPEALED TO US WAS THE OPENNESS AND AIRINESS.” DANA BARUCH, RESIDENT An idea popped into Dana Baruch’s head one sleepless night in 2012, upending the plans she and her husband, Mike Krell, had laid for their new house. At the time, the two were partway through designing a 2,300-square-foot, three-bedroom residence in the Bouldin area of Austin. But as Dana lay awake, she thought about their home-to-be and suddenly envisioned something more, a multitasking second level that could adapt to at least three configurations—guest suite, rental unit, and home base for their two sons, who were nearing adulthood—if Kevin Alter, Tim Whitehill, and Ernesto Cragnolino of Alterstudio Architecture could figure out how. Up to that point, Mike and…