Close to downtown Phoenix, local firm [merz]project was hired to design an addition to a single-family bungalow in the city’s Ashland Historic District. Reacting to the existing house’s cut-up floor plan, project manager Alison Rainey says the zinc-clad rectangular addition was conceived as a flowing, continuous space. At the center is the house’s distinctive kitchen, which serves as the communal center of the structure, with a large window wall on the eastern side capable of opening completely to the adjacent lawn.

According to Rainey, the firm “chose a minimal material palette for the home in order to maximize simplicity and maintain a flow from the old construction through to the new.” Walnut, the primary wood throughout the project, was used for the custom cabinetry that lines the back wall of the kitchen, concealing the client’s dishes, cookware, appliances, and even trash and recycling cans. The kitchen’s island countertop is a thick, stepped layer of precast concrete, resonating with the surrounding concrete floors and providing a durable and distinctive surface.