4 Beautifully Designed ADU Projects From Around The World That Inspire Us
At New Avenue, our design teams are constantly looking for design inspiration so we can provide our clients with the very best: beautiful spaces that include the smartest design features, latest trends, and most beautiful materials to suit today’s lifestyles. Part of our design process includes looking at projects from around the world to inspire our own creative design ideas. We are particularly drawn to ADUs and custom homes that balance beauty, sustainability, and a strong connection to nature. We love projects where the interior opens up to nature and blends the boundaries between inside and outside. Check out these inspiring ADU designs and then reach out to our design team to start your dream project.
Marvell St Studio - Byron Bay, Australia
Designed by Harley Graham Architects
The feature that made us fall in love with this accessory dwelling unit is the living room that almost completely opens up to the backyard garden. The sliding glass walls disappear and make the ADU feel like an outdoor room. Beautiful materials, impeccable details, great natural light, and thoughtful built-ins complete the space and give it a luxurious feel. This is a perfect example of our belief that quality is key. An elegant space with high-quality materials, great windows, and the perfect amount of space makes a wonderful place to live.
Five House - Denton, Texas, USA
Designed by M Gooden Design
Materiality is what drew us to this fantastic ADU design. The board-formed concrete of the lower box juxtaposed with the dark warm wood of the ceiling makes this home feel inviting. We also love how the shed roof lifts up from the boxy concrete form to create a series of clerestory windows that bring tons of natural daylight into the space. The dark black accents of the kitchen, interior hardware, fixtures, and steel work well with the dark wood of the interior casework and the exterior wood screens. And of course, our love for indoor and outdoor connections is manifested in both the living room and the bedroom that open onto decks overlooking the backyard garden and pool. We would love to live here!
The Namaste ADU - Portland, Oregon, USA
Designed by Lucas Gray with Propel Studio
This ADU was designed by Lucas Gray in Portland, Oregon. Created as a home for aging in place, a mother and daughter teamed up to build this modern barrier-free home in the daughter’s backyard. The mom will live here for the duration of her life and then her daughter will move in to downsize from the main house. The homeowners wanted a clean, modern, minimalist design that had a strong connection to the garden. They love Japanese aesthetics, so Gray designed the home around a covered back patio that looks over a Japanese-inspired rock garden. The hole in the roof overhang collects rainwater from the ADU roof and celebrates it in a waterfall that cascades down into the rocks below. At 705 square feet, this project is perfectly sized as a spacious one-bedroom ADU.
Slim Fit House - Almere Poort, the Netherlands
Designed by Ana Rocha Architecture
It is amazing how these warm wood interiors feel spacious considering how this 538-square-foot home sits on such a small footprint. It is clever how the architect stacked the kitchen/dining, living, and bedroom so each has their own dedicated floor and privacy is preserved. The staircase is also a wonderful example of how clever design can increase a space’s function—in this case, having the stair treads wrap into wall shelving. On the exterior, we admire the super simple form, the large windows that create a fun composition and offer views over the surroundings, and the finely detailed vertical wood siding. It is a distinctly contemporary design that uses traditional natural materials.
One of the themes that binds these projects together is the celebration of connecting the architecture with the surrounding environment. Walls that slide open, covered outdoor rooms, strategically placed windows, and ample daylight make ADUs feel large and spacious. Blurring the lines between indoors and outdoors celebrates the beauty of nature and leads to better places to live. Combine this with our passion for sustainable design strategies and high-efficiency systems, and we develop beautiful homes that are sustainable and benefit people and the planet.
If you are inspired by these projects as we are and are ready to build an ADU on your property, please contact us. We would love to talk with you about your goals and ideas and have our design teams craft a wonderful accessory dwelling unit that compliments your property and fulfills your ADU dreams.