124 Spruce Street in Princeton, New Jersey, is currently listed at $2,380,000 by Maura Mills at Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty.

Set just a block from Nassau Street, this newly constructed four-story home fuses quiet luxury and thoughtful design. While the structure is new, the sensibility is timeless—soothing materials, intuitive layouts, and integrated technology all working in quiet harmony. 

Inside, the palette leans serene: glass panels and cable rails provide a weightless, architectural edge, while soft-toned wallpaper and linear wood trim play against the 9-foot ceilings, introducing warmth and texture without overstating their presence. 

Just off the entry, woodgrain doors with brushed brass hardware open to a flexible space that functions equally well as a study, den, or reading retreat. In the open living and dining area, layered design elements add subtle drama. A fireplace-ready niche sits beneath a Frame TV, wrapped in bold tile. A discreet wet bar glows from within, elevating everyday hosting into something more ceremonial. 

The adjacent kitchen balances form and function. Frameless cabinetry, a waterfall-edge quartz island, and Samsung Bespoke appliances keeps the aesthetic clean with a smart touch. Much of the home’s technology—lighting, climate, shades—is ambient by design, programmed to respond to time and use without fanfare. 

Sustainability and efficiency are core to the build. Black-framed Pella windows, enhanced insulation, a dual-zone heat pump HVAC, and a heat-pump water heater contribute to reduced energy consumption. Even the walk-out basement—fully finished with a wood bar, rain shower bath, and access to the fenced backyard—was constructed using insulated concrete form for added efficiency and strength. 

Outdoor space continues on the upper floors, where private decks extend from both the top-level suite and the main suite. The latter offers a sense of retreat, anchored by a bath clad entirely in oversized tile, a freestanding tub, and  a dual-sided walk-in closet. 

Listing Details 

Bedrooms: 5 

Baths: 4 full, 1 partial 

Year Built: 2024 

Plot Size: 0.13 acres  

2801 E Camino Norberto in Tucson, Arizona, is currently listed at $2,998,000 by Robin Kaiserman and Melissa Henderson at Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty.

Designed by modernist architect Judith Chafee, the Ramada House is a reflection of its natural surroundings. The gated estate spans more than eight acres of lush desert vegetation amid city and mountain views in the Catalina Foothills Estates. Completed in 1975, the Ramada House stands as the pinnacle of Chafee’s career, embodying her innovative approach to desert modernism and her unwavering commitment to creating buildings that harmonize with their environment. 

The Ramada House is widely considered Chafee’s most significant work, showcasing the full maturity of her architectural vision. Her education at Yale University and her work with luminaries such as Eero Saarinen and Walter Gropius laid the foundation for the unique design principles that found their fullest expression in this residence. 

The Ramada House’s significance to Arizona’s architectural heritage is further cemented by its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, a rare honor for a relatively young building at the time. This designation not only acknowledges the home’s architectural importance but also ensures its preservation for future generations to study and admire. 

The enduring impact of the Ramada House is reflected in recent publications and exhibitions dedicated to Chafee’s work. The book “Powerhouse: The Life and Work of Judith Chafee” by Christopher Domin and Kathryn McGuire prominently features the Ramada House as a highlight of Chafee’s career. Additionally, the traveling exhibit “Judith Chafee: Framing the Desert” showcases the Ramada House as a central piece, bringing this architectural marvel to a wider audience. 

With its distinctive lofted grid made of wood slats inspired by traditional Tohono O’odham building techniques, the Ramada House exemplifies Chafee’s skill in integrating indigenous design elements with modern living. This approach not only created a unique aesthetic but also demonstrated a profound understanding of the local climate and culture. 

The legacy of the Ramada House continues to inspire architects and students in Arizona and beyond. It serves as an exemplary model for sustainable, regionally responsive architecture that respects its environment while pushing the boundaries of modernist design. The ongoing interest in the Ramada House ensures that Judith Chafee’s most significant contribution to architecture will continue to be studied, celebrated, and influential for years to come.

Listing Details 

Bedrooms: 4 

Baths: 4 full 

Year Built: 1975

Square Feet: 3,797

Plot Size: 8.6 acres

27467 Bay Shore Drive in Lake Arrowhead, California is currently listed at $3,495,000 by Dani Rosenthal at Wheeler Steffen Sotheby’s International Realty.

On the water at Lake Arrowhead, this mountain retreat fuses contemporary design with natural materials. The four-bed, five-bath residence was freshly remodeled and thoughtfully designed this year. Passing through the white oak and glass front doors, the main living space features soaring wood beam ceilings, a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace, and a wall of windows showcasing sparkling lake views. 

The fireplace is flanked by a custom walnut built-in, providing storage for firewood and treasured objects. An expansive eat-in kitchen features integrated appliances and built-in storage. A massive T-shaped, Taj Mahal marble-topped island is grounded by richly grained walnut. Custom cabinetry envelops the kitchen, combining fluted glass cabinets with walnut open shelving. The kitchen’s showpiece, however, is the brand new La Cornue range, a French luxury used by Michelin-starred chefs, built to last a lifetime. 

An open dining space extends from the kitchen, bathed in natural light from a large picture window and a sliding glass door that leads to a deck overlooking the lake. For more intimate gatherings, step up to the den overlooking the living room. Enjoy the custom wet-bar, or curl up by the wood-burning fireplace. This space opens onto a secluded backyard complete with a hot tub. Rounding out the main level is an inviting guest bedroom, and bath detailed with Zia tile and lights from In Common With.

The curved staircase, illuminated by a sculptural Ravenhill Studio chandelier, leads to two suites connected by a floating walkway. The first suite boasts vaulted ceilings, a custom walnut bed, and a natural stone fireplace. The adjoining dressing room and en suite bathroom foster a restorative atmosphere, enhanced by a marble-topped double vanity and oversized walk-in shower. 

In the second suite, awaken to water views from the custom white oak built-in bed. Yet another stone fireplace lends warmth and natural beauty to the space. The final guest bedroom provides flexibility for overnight guests or working remotely. 

The home’s lower level touts a spacious bonus room with custom mudroom cabinets, slate floors, and a washer and dryer. Off this bonus room is a spa-inspired bathroom and sauna for the perfect recovery space after lake days, accessible from the lower level and included dock. Additional brand new and notable features include a presidential roof, aluminum- and wood-clad windows, Trex decking, central air conditioning, a garage door, and EV charger. 

Listing Details 

Bedrooms: 4 

Baths: 5 full 

Square Feet: 2,898

104 Marlborough Road in Briarcliff Manor, New York, is currently listed at $2,999,000 by Joanne Rizoulis and Amy Smith-Sroka at Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty.

The Roy O. Allen House is arguably one of the most renowned modern homes in Westchester County and a celebrated icon of midcentury glass architecture worldwide. Designed by the esteemed Roy O. Allen of SOM—lead architect of Manhattan’s 1 Liberty Plaza—this stunning residence was originally crafted for his own family and has since been meticulously restored, reimagined, and modernized through two major renovations.

Nestled on more than one and a half acres of bucolic land and surrounded by old-growth trees, the home offers sweeping seasonal views of the Hudson River from every room.

The 1957 International Style pavilion has been featured in our very own pages as well as TV shows like Fallout and Hunters; the current owners even have an established filming location fee with Amazon, Apple, and Netflix.

A newly reconfigured primary suite now features a breathtaking slabbed Calacatta verde bathroom with Waterworks fixtures and an exquisite custom Poliform walk-in closet from Italy, crafted from glass, wood, and leather. Designer details in the suite also include upholstered moss-green suede walls and a leathered stone accent wall, paying homage to the home’s Mies van der Rohe–inspired design ethos.

In addition, a brand-new king bedroom suite has been created, complete with plush wool Stark carpeting and an en suite Waterworks bathroom clad in Sahara Noir marble and featuring a rain shower.

Further enhancing the home’s aesthetic are custom Apparatus light fixtures, Buster + Punch metal switches, and Stark carpeting, seamlessly blending high design with timeless modernism. A cinematic tour de force, the home showcases the changing seasons via a shining display of glass and light.

While an entertainer’s dream, the Roy O. Allen House is also an inspired sanctuary for those seeking an escape—just 39 miles from the rush of the city. Frequent visitors include bald eagles, hawks, osprey, and owls—all adding serenity to this tranquil retreat. 

Listing Details 

Bedrooms: 3 

Baths: 4 full 

Year Built: 1957

Square Feet: 4,002

Plot Size: 1.7 acres

Location: 1160 Nepal Place, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Price: $3,698,000 CAD (approximately $2,675,996 USD)

Year Built: 1957

Architect: Ron Thom

Footprint: 1,843 square feet (2 bedrooms, 2 baths)

Lot Size: 0.28 Acres

From the Agent: “A Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired masterpiece, The Carmichael House stands as one of Ron Thom’s most distinctive works. This rare expression of organic modernism is seamlessly set into a forested mountainside, just 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Designed on a hexagonal grid, the home abandons conventional right angles in favor of expansive sight lines and a seamless connection to its surroundings. Fully remastered and move-in ready, this architectural landmark offers a rare alternative to high-rise living—a home that elevates rather than confines.”

In a serene valley just outside Aspen, Colorado, a striking home defined by generous swaths of glass opens itself up to the vast beauty of the Rockies. Lift-and-slide glass walls peel away in the double-height living room, letting the mountain air flow in and framing uninterrupted views over the pool and patio to the alpine ridges and aspen groves beyond.

The home is the vision of Turkel Design, a studio known for its blend of warm modernism and precision-prefabrication. It features all the hallmarks of a bespoke mountain retreat—think custom cabinetry, rich wood cladding, and a seamless indoor/outdoor flow—and cleverly utilizes prefab construction.

“It’s such a unique thing for an architect to put together a package with the exterior envelope, cabinetry, and fixtures all with this level of precision and care,” says homeowner Bob Bridger.

For Bob, a former tech executive who has worked extensively with architects on other homes in the past, the process was just as important as the outcome—and he wanted to avoid the challenges of conventional construction. Turkel Design handled the project from concept through fabrication, delivering a building component package that the local construction team—guided by Turkel’s assembly specialists—installed with remarkable efficiency. “The building goes up at an incredibly fast pace,” says Bob. “And it’s remarkable how well it all fits together.”

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Yngsjö, Sweden

Architect: Johan Sundberg Arkitektur / @johansundbergarkitektur

Footprint: 1,500 square feet

Builder: Treano Bygg AB

Structural Engineer: SG Svensson AB

Landscape Design: Ulrika Sommar Trädgärdsdesign

Cabinetry Design: Möbelsnickare Kasper Thulin

Photographer: Markus Linderoth / @markuslinderoth

From the Architect: “Nestled among the undulating pine-covered hills in Yngsjö, by the shores of the Baltic Sea, stands a summer retreat designed for a family of four.

“Comprising a singular volume oriented in a north-south direction, the house features a recessed section in its central part, facing west and hosting a sheltered terrace that basks in evening sun. The southern section, encompassing the entrance, kitchen, and communal areas, connects to the ground with a fluid transition to the surrounding environment. Meanwhile, the northern half, housing more private spaces, hovers above the terrain on slender pillars, establishing a direct connection with the treetops through expansive bedroom windows.

“The home is clad in larch panels rhythmically interrupted by vertical pilasters. The floating structure’s underside is concealed with triple-layered larch panels. Inside, the rooms are grounded by oak floors, trimmings, doors, and bespoke carpentry. The interior ceiling and its overhanging sections boast a unified, slender-profile larch surface, which has a calming and sound-absorbing effect throughout the entirety of the house.”

Welcome to How They Pulled It Off, where we take a close look at one particularly challenging aspect of a home design and get the nitty-gritty details about how it became a reality.

Much has been made of the way architects design their own homes—after all, there’s no tougher client than yourself, or so the saying goes. But what if you aren’t an architect by definition, yet your career is steeped in design and shaped by photographing some of the world’s most striking built environments? Such was the case for Dom and Claire French. Claire is a fashion designer; Dom is one half of the renowned architectural studio French + Tye, whose work has regularly appeared in Dwell.

“As soon as I saw the apartment, I knew it had potential, but the thing I really fell for was the light,” says Kristine Aarflot, CEO and managing partner of Bryn Aarflot, an intellectual property law firm based in Oslo, Norway.

The 1,440 square-foot apartment, illuminated by large windows and skylights, is set on the fifth and sixth stories of a 1892 neoclassical building on a tranquil street in the city’s upscale Frogner district. “This is central Oslo, and I’m less than a 20-minute walk from the office,” says Kristine. “But up here, it’s totally quiet.”

Before: Entry

After: Entry

All the living space is on the main floor, which is mostly open, apart from three enclosed bedrooms. A staircase at the center leads up to a landing that opens to a 184-square-foot rooftop terrace. 

“The apartment had been intended to look a little industrial, but it was very, very cold,” Kristine says. Although she initially planned to move in right after making some cosmetic changes, a closer look revealed that most of the surfaces, as well as the staircase, the floors, and the kitchen were in poor shape, and needed to be replaced or restored—so she reached out to architect Vibeke Jenssen, a partner with local firm Rintala Eggertsson Architects.

Before: Kitchen

As part of our reporting on how some prefab home builders have been making promises to customers they can’t keep, we spoke to Casita Coalition, a California nonprofit who advocates for affordable housing, to hear about what buyers can do to safeguard themselves from bad actors. Here’s what they say you should do first if you’re thinking about building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) specifically, whether prefab or otherwise.

• Homeowners considering building or purchasing an ADU or junior ADU should consider first taking an ADU education course with a HUD-certified housing counseling agency or other nonprofit organization.
• When selecting a builder or designer for an ADU or other home improvement project, ask to see completed projects near your home before choosing. If they are licensed, check their license status at the Contractors State License Board (CSLB).
• Use caution if offered an “everything included” price before the details of your specific property are examined.
• Read your contract carefully before signing. It should state specifically what work it covers and provide detailed payment schedules.
• For factory-built ADUs, confirm that the purchase contract includes delivery, storage, installation, plan check corrections, and all phases up to and including final inspection and occupancy approval. 
• Use caution if asked to pay more than 30 percent of the total “all-in” costs as a down payment for modular/prefab ADUs.

• For manufactured ADUs, consumer protections require payments to be placed in escrow accounts. Confirm that the escrow company is licensed. Use caution and understand completion of work and project status when asked to release funds from the escrow account.

• For site-built projects, pay only as the work progresses. If you have a renovation/construction mortgage, your lender will only make “progress payments” as work progresses through a managed escrow that reviews your contractor bills and confirms that the completed work was done. If you do not have a renovation/construction mortgage lender or borrowed funds as a cash-out refinance/HELOC, you can choose to use this same procedure and only make payments as work is completed, tying the payments to specific progress contract milestones. You can also engage a funds control or managed escrow company to assist.
• Your ADU project may involve more than one professional. Make sure that their responsibilities are clearly stated in each contract.
• Check that a contingency amount is included to cover unexpected expenses.
• Be alert when rebuilding after disasters. CSLB and the California Attorney General’s Office website have tips and resources to avoid fraud and scams.

Related Reading:

Buying a Prefab ADU Was Supposed to Be Easier Than This