Biggest cost
The
Music Box
When a professional musician reached out to Campos Studio to design a detached recording room in his family’s backyard, there were two primary challenges: a limited budget and serious layout restrictions (the main house maxed out the allowable area on the lot, leaving them less than 50 feet to work with). But these hangups became the driving force behind the compact triangular design, which expands vertically to a single skylight at a height of 12 feet and took three months to complete. With its inexpensive stained-cedar exterior and plywood interior, the structure closes like a music box, and a sliding door opens one of the walls onto a deck. “A small space needs to be designed like a boat,” designer Javier Campos shares, “functional and well planned out.”
pack
Who: Danielle Van Noy and Gordon Waltho
Where: Elizaville, New York
Size: 115 square feet
The Escape
“Just walking to and
Despite living on 9 rolling acres of overgrown fields and idyllic wildflowers, Danielle Van Noy and Gordon Waltho, the design duo behind The Folklore, were looking to escape the cramped-in-the-house feeling you get when you’re renovating a home alongside your spouse. So they enlisted some friends and, over the course of several weekends, built an eco-generative, off-the-grid A-frame a short walk away on the property. Lovingly referred to as Triangles, the cabin isn’t just good for their personal sanity (Van Noy, a breast cancer survivor, likes to use the space to practice yoga), it’s good for the planet: The structure gives back to the earth with a stand-alone composting biodigester that processes food, yard, and outhouse waste, creating a by-product that can then nourish the soil. “It’s a place to be creative or still, to explore the senses and what it means to be alive and well,” says Van Noy. “Just walking to and being in the space is its own meditation.”
WORDS BY Alexa Wilding
Perfectly manicured grass, string lights, and a hammock have nothing on the new outdoor staple: the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) and its cousins, the shed and stand-alone studio. In search of a respite from home—but not one that’s so far away that it requires getting in a car—these seven designers and homeowners built structures to fill very specific voids, right in their own backyards.
Great Taste
The
Creative Zone
Last summer, photographer Thayer Gowdy fell in love with a new art form: pottery. She set out to create a studio for her daily ritual, something “light filled, but nothing fancy,” she says, and, most important, a structure that matched the rooflines of the other surrounding sheds on her land. Plus she didn’t want it to block her gorgeous mountain views. A greenhouse kit with solar panels and fans (to cool the space down when her kiln heats up) fit the bill. It took Gowdy and a friend half a day to assemble—“including a taco break and proper catch-up”—and a week to build. To add some depth to the simple cedar model, she used the same light-toned wood in the form of shelving to keep the airy feel going, and bought easy-to-install (albeit heavy) grooved concrete tile from Home Depot for the floor. “The space glows at night with my paper globe light,” she notes, “and I can see the blurry palm trees blowing outside, like a watercolor in motion.”
The thing you need to know about permitting:
Stick with it and you will most likely get the outcome you want. Our spot is zoned for three units, and ADUs became legal in California before we went to permit, making the process much easier for us.
I’m so glad we added:
A bathtub. It wasn’t part of the original design, but with its sky-lit view, it makes our home feel like a luxurious spa.
Want to follow in our footsteps?
Be aware that most ADUs are not built for privacy. Like lofts, you must realize you’re living in a communal space.
You can typically find us:
In the garden with birds, butterflies, and local animals. The drought-tolerant landscape design is an extension of the ADU, creating outside rooms that expand our living space.
Resources we found most helpful:
@howtoadu on TikTok offers frequent updates on grants and ADU design suggestions. Also, Belinda Carr gives a good breakdown of construction materials for the layperson on YouTube.
The Guesthouse
“Adding bright accents
Architectural designer Laura Cowan Higuchi and her husband, Clifford, didn’t intend on living in their ADU full-time. When the couple enlisted Bunch Design to create a free-flowing space in their backyard, it was meant as a retreat for family and friends; little did they know they’d be the first guests. As construction fatigue and COVID-related supply chain shortages delayed work on their primary house, it made sense to call the four-room dwelling home in the meantime. To maximize the square footage, Bunch’s Bo Sundius drew unlikely inspiration from the oversize suit worn by Talking Heads frontman David Byrne in the 1976 concert film Stop Making Sense, detaching the building’s vaulted roof from the walls with fat trusses like Byrne’s huge shoulder pads. Laura personalized the interior with blocks of color. “Adding bright accents to every room makes it feel as if you’re living in a painting,” she shares. Or like you’re at a rock festival.
”
Who: Laura Cowan Higuchi and Clifford Higuchi
Where: Los Angeles
Size: 750 square feet
Who: Thayer Gowdy
Where: Ojai, California
Size: 83 square feet
The thing you need to know about permitting:
Always double-check! No matter what you’re told, or what you might happen to find online, it’s always best to call your local town officials about the zoning requirements for your area.
Our best small-space tip:
Look for a building plan with big windows that utilize and allow for natural light.
We’re so glad we added:
Heavy-duty insulation to help regulate the indoor temperature.
Want to follow in our footsteps?
Make a supportive self-care and recovery plan for during construction. Even a five-minute hydration and snack break can be a great reset.
Biggest cost saver:
Bribe friends with delicious food and good vibes in exchange for their help.
The thing you need to know about permitting:
You might not need one! The greenhouse was under the size required for permitting. I already had power brought back for a possible hot tub, so I used it for my kiln instead.
I’m so glad I added:
Coat hooks for all my aprons and a little mud-cloth curtain to keep the sun out.
Want to follow in my footsteps?
If you’re in a hot climate, consider a darker roof. I also really need an AC! But I just throw early in the morning and in the evening during heat spells.
You can typically find me:
Throwing pottery and chatting with friends, who usually sit outside and drink rosé while watching me work.
Who: Principal designer Javier Campos
and his musician client
Where: Vancouver, British Columbia
Size: 48 square feet
The thing you need to know about permitting:
The zoning bylaws can seem constraining, but looked at another way, they can lead one to design interesting projects. —Campos
I’m so glad we added:
Sound insulation to the walls and plywood. The shape of the shed is also designed for optimal acoustics. —Campos
I built my space for music, but it’s also nice to
do research in and enjoy the solitude it offers.
—the client
Biggest cost saver:
Keeping it simple. —Campos
”
being in the space is
its own meditation.
it feel as if you’re
living in a painting.
to every room makes
saver: “Keep
it simple.”
expansion
You can typically find me:
chatting with friends.”
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
The Escape: Courtesy of The Folklore House ; The Guest House: Courtesy of Bunch Design ; The Creative Zone: Thayer Gowdy ; Music Box: Andrew Latreille
“Throwing pottery and
issue
the
Color Theory
Farrow & Ball’s head of creative opens the doors to her freshly painted Victorian—and gives us a chromatic crash course.
A light-filled Northern California property was home at first sight for interior designer Emily Ward.
Divide and Conquer
A graphic designer’s Parisian-inspired partitions prove that even a wide-open space can be WFH-friendly.
More From the Issue
SUMMER 2022
issue
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Farrow & Ball’s head of creative opens the doors to her freshly painted Victorian—and gives us a chromatic crash course.