apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Name: Samuel and Barbara Davidson
Location: Mercer Island, Washington
Size: 260 square feet
Years lived in: 30 years

In the middle of beautiful Lake Washington, nestled amid four acres of wooded land, sits a tiny red caboose from 1949. Colorfully out of place among the giant evergreen trees and sprawling rhododendron, it’s a small jewel full of light and warmth. Full-height picture windows on one side overlook a large 8 foot by 20 foot private deck, all the better to take advantage of a sweeping western view of the wooded ravine and of Lake Washington. The railroad car sits on actual rails and serves as a live/work space for the Davidson family and for the occasional (and lucky) renter.

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Name: Chris & Hannah Garrison
Location: Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Size: 1,900 square feet
Years lived in: 9 months

The entrance to Chris and Hannah Garrison's loft is inauspiciously located between a wiener shop and a karate studio in downtown Woonsocket, Rhode Island — a former mill town about 20 minutes north of Providence that has seen its ups and downs. But inside and up the stairs is a breathtaking space, restored using reclaimed materials, many of which came from local sources.

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Name: Pratt Institute and Third + Bond
Location: Gowanus / Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Size: 1,900 square feet, 3-bedroom duplex

While no one lives in these apartments, a lot of thought, preparation, and creativity went into creating these potential homes. Hudson Developers invited Pratt Institute alumni, faculty, and students from the architecture, interior design, industrial design, and fine arts departments to furnish two model apartments in Third + Bond, a new residential development in Brooklyn.

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Name: Nancy
Location: Winnetka, IL
Size: 4000 sq/ft
Years lived in: Owned 6 Months

Nancy’s got a great eye — when she first saw this mid-century gem she knew it had potential. At the time however, it was seriously in need of an upgrade: the interior reeked of early 90’s décor, the structure was thermally deficient and it wasn’t quite large enough for her family of three boys. A couple of years later the house is a shining example of a sustainably swanky renovation.

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Name: Zero Energy Idea House
Homeowners: Donna and Riley Shirey
Location: Bellevue, Washington
Size: 1630 square feet
Date completed: April, 2009

Meaningful design, sustainability, eco-conscious are all terms we’d like to use when describing our homes. But this is a house that can truly boast such expressions. The Zero Energy Idea House, perched over the shores of Lake Sammamish, is a real house built for a real family who have been dedicated to building sustainable homes for over 22 years.

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We seem to spend a lot of time bemoaning the state of food in America. There's so much that isn't the way it ought to be that sometimes we forget to celebrate and appreciate places that are producing food in creatively sustainable ways. One of those places is Snowville Creamery in southeast Ohio. We visited Snowville to bring you a peek at a dairy that is doing things right. Take a quick trip with us to this tiny creamery; you'll see a few herds of happy, healthy, sociable cows, and an owner who is practically a force of nature himself.

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Name: Joan Yokom and Johann Fitzgerald
Location: The Mission, San Francisco
Size: 660 square feet
Years lived in: 6 years

Joan Yokom and Johann Fitzgerald have garnered a lot of positive attention for their colorful Mission home. A few of their images have been featured on Apartment Therapy here, but we thought it was about time to get the full story. Chock full of inspirational DIYs and artisan made custom furniture, this Mission Maisonette deserved a full house tour.

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Names: Katy and Tighe
Location: Vashon, Washington
Size: 850 square feet
Years lived in: 1 year, rented

Back when Katy and Tighe were city dwellers, they lived a semi-country life. They built a greenhouse in a tiny San Francisco backyard, grew their own food, and made plans to raise chickens. Eventually, having moved to Seattle, they decided to try out an actual country life. They found a little cottage on Vashon Island, got an (adorable) dog, and set about making a lovely home among the madronas and pines...

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Names: Sara & Pete
Size: 5,000 square feet, including the basement apartment
Years Lived in: 10
Sara and Pete's DC rowhouse is decorated with a mix of antiques and repurposed theater props. The couple has long supported theater companies in DC — including Constellation Theatre and Woolly Mammoth — and have collected and incorporated their favorite stage props into their home.

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Name: 3716 Springfield by Studio 804
Location: Kansas City, Kansas
Size: 2,600 square feet
Year built: 2009

The latest project of Studio 804 - a design/build program at the University of Kansas' School of Architecture, Design and Planning - is 3716 Springfield. The home's extreme sustainability (even noted as "off the grid") doesn't dominate its aesthetic, but compliments the design's austerity...

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Name: Joyce
Location: Stow, Massachusetts

"We live in an eco-home that we designed and built on the foundation of a 1959 ranch. It was designed to embrace the beauty of simple natural materials, open spaces, and carefully thought-out systems for health and comfort. Inspired by Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House, every aspect of the design aims to maximize space, making use of the entire footprint (and the vertical space) to accommodate the way a family lives. The result is environmentally sustainable, aesthetically delightful, and lovingly suited to the needs of a family..."

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Name: Chuck and Jessica
Location: Silver Spring, Maryland
Size: 196 square feet
Years lived in: Completed this year, 2009

Chuck is an architect and furniture designer and Jessica is a painter, so their shed was built out of necessity to provide additional workspace behind their home. Built from the ground up and using many salvaged materials, the shed keeps in line with their philosophy on environmental responsibility. And given Chuck's occupation, it's no surprise their shed won the International Shed of the Year award for 2009.

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Name: Helen & Frazer Cunningham
Location: Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK
Type: Beach Shack
Size: Dolls House!
Years lived in: Owned for 4 years

Enter Helen & Frazer's Gallery

Visiting the shack is not just like visiting a different place, its visiting a different time. The shack is an English holiday cottage from yesteryear, with cleverly chosen decor, furniture and appliances that take you back but also seem totally genuine and appropriate. Few homes could evoke such strong emotions and feelings as this one, even in those too young to have witnessed this style. A great example of the power of design...

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Location: Chicago, IL
Size: 3600 sq/ft
Years lived in: For Sale!

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Located in the picturesque and historic Chicago neighborhood, Ravenswood Manor, this home is a future forward ‘American Four-Square’ house, updated to be green with a super insulated envelope, passive and active solar elements, a green roof and lots of reused and reclaimed goodies…

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