Michael Johnson’s answer to having little buildable land to work with in his design of Ruth Hiller’s Winter Park, Colorado, house was to elevate and cantilever the kitchen, living, and dining space over the carport, nearly doubling the home’s living area. "The second floor feels like you’re in a tree house, which is very cool, especially when it’s snowing," Hiller says. The house has received an overwhelmingly positive reaction from her ski pals. "It’s funny, I have a lot of friends who don’t like modernist architecture, and they end up loving my house. They say, 'We didn’t know it could be so inviting and warm.'" Photo by Bjorn Wallander.