Dwell’s mission is to improve people’s lives with great design. From Dwell.com and our social media channels to our celebrated 22-year-old print magazine, we feature new ideas about what a home can and should be and offer expert advice for making your own space a better place to live. We are a marketplace for the best-designed products out there and a platform for our audience to share and discover remarkable spaces.
In the past decade, several states have legalized and reduced most permit fees for backyard homes, recognizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as a vital tool for increasing the supply of housing. With a series of new laws removing barriers to building ADUs, California in particular has signaled its support for installing backyard houses practically everywhere.
Abodu delivers the best backyard homes available. Their aim is to inspire homeowners to see the full potential of their property and to amaze their clients with how easy adding living space can be. Whether you want to work from home, create a private space for live-in family members, or add a rental unit for extra cash, Abodu is all about options. Their team includes experts in real estate and construction in addition to technology, logistics, and customer service. It has allowed them to reengineer real estate development, putting the customer at the center of everything. As backyard houses have become an important way to solve the housing crisis, and as more homeowners add new spaces to their existing places, Abodu is building a future where backyard homes are the norm, not the exception.
Much like human well-being, the essence of Norm Architects’ work is found in balance—between richness and restraint, between order and complexity. Each project—whether architecture, interiors, design, or creative direction—is imbued with the same intrinsic quality: a simplicity that carries bigger ideas. Guided by the body and mind rather than by trends or technology, their projects explore ideas that not only look good but that also feel good. Architecture becomes thoughtful, minimalism acquires softness, and visual matter assumes haptic qualities. Their work is sharp and exudes tactility, and their approach focuses on quality, details, and durability.
Situated on one of the oldest streets of Copenhagen, Norm Architects respect their context and build on the traditions of Scandinavian design—of timeless aesthetics, natural materials, and upholding Modernist principles of restraint and refinement. Through exploring what it is that heightens the human senses, regardless of personal preference, their projects strip spaces, objects, ideas, and images back to their simplest form. Their expertise lies in finding balance—when there’s nothing more to either add or take away.
